Kansas-TCU lineups, TV, tipoff time, facts, figures

No. 3 Kansas at TCU

WHEN/WHERE: 8 p.m. Friday at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas

TV/RADIO: ESPN2; KCSP (610 AM)

Projected lineups

P No. Kansas Ht. Yr. PPG

C 33 Landen Lucas 6-10 Sr. 5.7

G 11 Josh Jackson 6-8 Fr. 15.6

G 2 Svi Mykhailiuk 6-8 Jr. 11.1

G 4 Devonté Graham 6-2 Jr. 12.6

G 00 Frank Mason 5-11 Sr. 19.7

P No. TCU Ht. Yr. PPG

F 10 Vladimir Brodziansky 6-11 Jr. 10.4

F 15 J.D. Miller 6-8 So. 8.5

G 34 Kenrich Williams 6-7 Jr. 10.4

G 0 Jaylen Fisher 6-2 Fr. 10.5

G 25 Alex Robinson 6-1 So. 10.8

ABOUT KANSAS (11-1, 0-0 Big 12): The Jayhawks, who have won 11 straight games since a season-opening loss to Indiana, are coming off a 71-53 victory over UNLV on Dec. 22 in Las Vegas. The Jayhawks have won 25 straight conference openers dating to the 1991-92 season with 10 of those in Allen Fieldhouse and 15 on the road. KU’s last loss in a league opener was 88-82 at Oklahoma on Jan. 8, 1991. KU is opening Big 12 play on the road for the eighth time in coach Bill Self’s 14 seasons. KU is trying to finish December undefeated for the second straight season and seventh time in the Self era. Kansas is 12-1 against TCU and has won eight straight in the series. The series started in 1952 when KU beat the Horned Frogs, 68-64, in the NCAA Midwest Regional at KC’s Municipal Auditorium. In Big 12 games only, KU is 8-1 vs. TCU including a 4-1 mark in Fort Worth. Self is 16-4 all-time against TCU, including 9-1 while at KU. Josh Jackson has led KU in scoring in two straight games and three times overall. KU has won six games by 15 or more points. KU has won 2,197 games. KU has held its opponent to a shooting percentage below 50 percent in all 12 games. Self is 396-84 at KU, just four wins away from 400. Of TCU, Self said: “They’ve got a lot of new guys. They are more balanced. It’s not quite the same (but) when we won the national championship I think our leading scorer averaged 13 (Brandon Rush, 13.3 points per game in 2007-08). They’ve got six guys averaging 9 or more. So obviously they have got some balance. They are playing with much more freedom offensively and they are rebounding the ball.”

ABOUT TCU (11-1, 0-0 Big 12): TCU has won three straight games since a 74-59 loss at SMU on Dec. 7. TCU won its only other road game, 63-59, over UNLV on Nov 25 in Las Vegas. TCU has also defeated St. Thomas (82-64), Alabama State (98-62), Jacksonville State (79-60), Illinois State (80-71), Washington twice (93-80 and 86-71), Arkansas State (77-54), Wofford (72-63), Texas Southern (96-59) and Bradley (74-42). The squad has four double-digit scorers in guards Alex Robinson (10.8 points per game), Jaylen Fisher (10.5) and Kenrich Williams (10.4) as well as forward Vladimir Brodziansky (10.4). TCU’s 11-1 start ties the 1930-31 squad for second-best in program history. Only the 2014-15 team, at 12-0, opened better. TCU coach Jamie Dixon, who coached at Pitt the past 13 years, is facing KU for the first time. The Horned Frogs have had the same starting lineup the last three games. Robinson had 10 assists against SMU, most by a TCU player since Hank Thorns dished 11 at Air Force in 2011. Williams grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds in TCU’s victory over UNLV. Former Pitt coach Dixon calls his four seniors (Karviar Shepherd, Brandon Parrish, Chris Washburn, Michael Williams) “the believers” for embracing his vision for the TCU program. “This senior group, maybe they won’t be our leading scorers or our leading rebounders, but they’re good leaders,” Dixon told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “They’ve been through a lot and they’ve stayed. It’s shown a commitment and a toughness that we can use to our benefit.”

This story was originally published December 29, 2016 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Kansas-TCU lineups, TV, tipoff time, facts, figures."