Lawrence, KS – The ninth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks close out a three-game homestand on Tuesday, as they take on the Richmond Spiders in non- conference action at the Allen Fieldhouse.
Bill Self's Jayhawks made light work of Belmont this past weekend, 89-60, extending their current win streak to seven games and their homecourt winning streak to 27 straight games, the second-longest active streak in the nation (Syracuse - 30). In addition, the win over the Bruins made it 60 consecutive wins at home against non-conference competition.
Chris Mooney's Spiders are on a bit of a roll as well. Richmond is an impressive 9-2 on the season and enters this contest with a five-game win streak in tow. Richmond has been extremely sharp at home, moving to a perfect 7-0 this season with last weekend's 76-57 rout of Stetson.
This marks just the third meeting between these two teams. Richmond won the first-ever meeting at the Allen Fieldhouse in 2004 (69-68). It ended a 52-game non-conference winning streak for Kansas against non-ranked foes. The Jayhawks evened things up in the 2011 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 (77-47).
Bolstered by a 65.0 percent shooting clip in the second half, Richmond turned a 3-point halftime lead into a 19-point romp over Stetson this past weekend. Sophomore forward Derrick Williams converted 6-of-8 shots from the floor and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line to finish with a game-high 21 points. Freshman guard Kendall Anthony poured in 18 points off the bench, while junior guard Darien Brothers rounded out the top scorers for Richmond with 16 points.
Sporting a +10.7 scoring margin, Richmond has clearly had success at both ends of the floor this season. The Spiders are shooting a healthy .466 overall and netting 73.5 ppg, while limiting foes to just 62.8 ppg and forcing just over 16 turnovers per contest. Four of the team's five starters are averaging double figures in scoring, as Williams and Brothers are tops on the team with 14.8 ppg each. Williams also leads the team in field-goal percentage (.603) and in rebounding (7.2 rpg). Anthony isn't far behind in the scoring department at 13.9 ppg. Junior guard Cedrick Lindsay is the last double-digit threat at 10.7 ppg, while doubling as the team's primary distributor (4.4 apg).
For the third straight game, Kansas delivered on better than 50 percent from the floor to cruise past Belmont this weekend and keep its lengthy win streaks going. The Jayhawks were strengthened by a 10-of-21 showing behind the arc, won the rebounding battle 41-34 and forced 17 turnovers. Freshman Ben McLemore and senior Travis Releford tied for team-high honors with 17 points apiece. Freshman Andrew White III added a career-high 15 off the bench, while senior Jeff Withey finished with 14 points.
The Jayhawks have been even more potent at both ends of the floor than Richmond, resulting in a +18.3 scoring margin. KU is netting 76.8 ppg on a solid .480 shooting, while limiting the opposition to a mere 58.4 ppg, on just .354 shooting. McLemore has made an immediate impact. The 6-foot-5 youngster is shooting .485 from the floor and leads the team with 16.1 ppg. Withey is the perfect complement with his dominance in the paint. The 7-footer is averaging 13.8 ppg, leads the team in rebounding (7.6 rpg) and the nation in blocked shots (5.6 bpg). Backcourt play is fortified by Releford (13.2 ppg) and Elijah Johnson (9.8 ppg, team-high 5.1 apg).
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