Three-minute preview: Montana at No. 2 Kansas
Montana at Kansas
P | No. | Kansas | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 42 | Hunter Mickelson | 6-10 | Sr. | 3.1 |
F | 34 | Perry Ellis | 6-8 | Sr. | 14.3 |
G | 1 | Wayne Selden | 6-5 | Jr. | 16.6 |
G | 4 | Devonte’ Graham | 6-2 | So. | 10.3 |
G | 0 | Frank Mason | 5-11 | Jr. | 14.1 |
P | No. | Montana | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 12 | Martin Breunig | 6-8 | Sr. | 18.3 |
F | 20 | Fabijan Krslovic | 6-8 | So. | 5.8 |
C | 34 | Brandon Gfeller | 6-4 | Jr. | 9.7 |
G | 10 | Michael Oguine | 6-2 | Fr. | 9.9 |
G | 5 | Walter Wright | 5-10 | Jr. | 10.5 |
▪ WHEN/WHERE: 1 p.m. today at Allen Fieldhouse
▪ TV/RADIO: Time Warner Cable SportsChannel; KCSP (610 AM)
▪ ABOUT KANSAS (8-1): After a week off for final exams, the second-ranked Jayhawks will return to the floor against Montana, a tuneup before a pre-Christmas road trip to San Diego State on Tuesday. Kansas is coming off an 82-67 victory over Oregon State — a performance that featured the Jayhawks’ finest half of the season. As KU ran its winning streak to eight games, the starting backcourt played a prominent role in the second-half demolition of Oregon State. Frank Mason, Devonte’ Graham and Wayne Selden all played the first 18-plus minutes of the half, controlling the game. Graham has been a revelation on defense, racking up 20 steals against just six turnovers in nine games. For the season, meanwhile, Mason and Graham have combined for 84 assists and 19 turnovers. And Selden has continued his torrid shooting. For the season, Selden is shooting 60 percent from three-point range while the Jayhawks are shooting 46.9 percent from behind the arc, which would be the highest mark of the Bill Self era. Kansas has just three nonconference games remaining before the Big 12 home opener against Bayor on Jan. 2. The Jayhawks have also won 28 straight at Allen Fieldhouse.
▪ ABOUT MONTANA (4-5): The Grizzlies, who are coming off an NIT appearance last season, have an eclectic resume thus far. They lost by just three points at Gonzaga and notched a home victory over a solid Boise State team. They also suffered losses to North Dakota State and Pepperdine and took a 30-point beating at Washington. After nine games, Montana ranks just 200th nationally in offensive efficiency and they’ve really struggled from three-point range, shooting just 25 percent from deep. The Grizzlies also struggle from the free-throw line. If Kansas can contain senior forward Martin Breunig, Montana could have a difficult time finding offense in other places. Montana and Kansas have met just one time before. The Jayhawks notched a 68-56 victory on Dec. 1, 1962.
Rustin Dodd: 816-234-4937, @rustindodd
This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 6:38 PM with the headline "Three-minute preview: Montana at No. 2 Kansas."