KU vs. Eastern Washington in NCAA Tournament: Lineups, tipoff, TV, facts and figures
The details
When/where: 12:15 p.m., Saturday, Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis.
TV /radio: TBS; WHB (810 AM)
Projected lineups
P | No. | Eastern Wash. | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 35 | Tanner Groves | 6-9 | Jr. | 16.4 |
G/F | 33 | Jacob Groves | 6-7 | So. | 8.7 |
G/F | 15 | Tyler Robertson | 6-6 | So. | 11.3 |
G/F | 24 | Kim Aiken | 6-7 | Jr. | 11.7 |
G | 11 | Jack Perry | 6-2 | Sr. | 4.5 |
P | No. | Kansas | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 33 | David McCormack | 6-10 | Jr. | 13.4 |
G | 2 | Christian Braun | 6-6 | So. | 9.8 |
G | 30 | Ochai Agbaji | 6-5 | Jr. | 14.2 |
G | 0 | Marcus Garrett | 6-5 | Sr. | 10.4 |
G | 24 | Bryce Thompson | 6-5 | Fr. | 4.9 |
About No. 14 seed Eastern Washington (16-7, 12-3 Big Sky): Eastern Washington of the Big Sky Conference is 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament, losing to Georgetown, 84-74, in 2015 in Portland, Oregon and, 75-56, to Oklahoma State in 2004 in Kansas City. EWU was a 13-seed in 2015 and 15-seed in 2004. … This season, Eastern Washington lost nonconference games to Washington State (71-68 in Pullman, Washington), Arizona (70-67, Dec. 5 in Tucson) and Oregon (69-52, Dec. 7 in Eugene, Oregon). … EWU has won 13 of 14 games. … The Eagles are 0-9 all-time versus teams in the Big 12 Conference. … In EWU’s last trip to Indiana, the Eagles defeated Indiana, 88-86, on Nov. 24, 2014, at Assembly Hall in Bloomington. EWU halted the Hoosiers’ 43-game homecourt win streak. Head coach Shantay Legans was an assistant coach on that squad. … Eastern Washington had won nine-straight games before falling to Idaho State, 68-63, on March 3. …The Eagles rolled through the Big Sky Conference Tournament with a trio of victories (over Northern Arizona, Montana, Montana State), leading for 108 out of 120 minutes. EWU led by as many as 12, 38 and 20 points in the three wins, respectively. … Junior Tanner Groves and his brother, Jacob, were named to the Big Sky all-tourney team. Tanner was MVP of the tourney and was Big Sky MVP during the regular season.
About No. 3-seed Kansas (20-8, 12-6, Big 12): KU leads the all-time series against Eastern Washington, 1-0. The Jayhawks’ 2007-08 NCAA title team clobbered the Eagles, 85-47, on Dec. 5, 2007 in Allen Fieldhouse. That was two seasons before Shantay Legans joined coach Kirk Earlywine’s EWU staff as an assistant coach. ... KU has averaged 73.1 points a game this season while allowing 65.8 ppg; EWU has averaged 78.0 ppg and allowed 69.4. ... KU has made 209 of 608 threes for 34.4%; EWU 194 of 548 for 35.4%. KU’s opponents have made 201 of 617 threes for 32.6%; EWU’s opponents 154 of 499 for 30.9%. … This marks KU’s 31st-consecutive appearance in the NCAAs. It’s the longest active streak in the country and longest in NCAA Tournament history. ... The Jayhawks are making their 49th appearance in the NCAAs. KU is 108-47 in the event trailing only Kentucky (131), North Carolina (126) and Duke (115) in tourney wins. … The Jayhawks have advanced to 31 Sweet 16 contests, 15 Final Fours and won the tourney crown in 1952, 1988, 2008. … This year marks the 21st-straight season that the Jayhawks have earned a top-4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. … Kansas has won its last 13 NCAA Tournament first-round games, a string which started in 2007. … KU has a No. 3 seed for the fifth time in school history and first time since the 2009 tourney. KU is 8-4 as a No. 3 seed. …Under head coach Bill Self, Kansas is 38-15 (71.7 percent) in the NCAA Tournament with 10 Sweet 16s, eight Elite Eights, three Final Fours, one NCAA National Championship and one NCAA runner-up finish. ... Kansas is 14-0 all-time against current members of the Big Sky Conference: 4-0 vs. Northern Arizona, 2-0 vs. Idaho, 2-0 vs. Montana, 2-0 vs. Northern Colorado, 1-0 vs. Eastern Washington, 1-0 vs. Idaho State, 1-0 vs. Montana State and 1-0 vs. Portland State.
