KANSAN.COM
STARTING FIVE
FRANTK MASON III Sophomore Guard Mason enjoyed a breakout season in his first year starting at point guard. Mason averaged 12.6 points per game and shot 43.4 percent from the field.
CHAMPIONSHIPS BY THE DOZEN
B12
WAYNE SELDEN JR
KELLY OUBRE JR.
WATNE SELDEN JK.
Sophomare Guard
Selden didn't make the jump he was expected to make as a sophomore and his shooting percentage fell below 40 percent
Freshman Forward Before going as the No.15 pick in the NBA Draft, Oubre finished second on the team in steals with 1.1 per game and third on the team in rebounds with 5.
PERRY ELLIS
Junior Forward The Wichita native had his best rebound ing season with 6.9 per game en route to first-team All-Big 12 honors.
JAMARI TRAYLOR
Traylor got the starting nod after the team ran into issues with the NCAA and freshman Cliff Alexander. Traylo finished second in blocks with 1.1 per game.
Junior Forward
SEASON AT A GLANCE
Kansas entered the season ranked No. 5, in part thanks to the arrival of McDonald's All-American freshmen Kelly Oubre Jr. and Cliff Alexander. However, NCAA issues forced Alexander to sit out the rest of the season. Kansas made the NCAA tournament despite losing to Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament, but lost in the third round to Wichita State.
POP CULTURE
"Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens" opens as the top grassing movie. "Uptawn Funk" finishes atop the Billboard top songs of the year.
NOTABLE DEATHS Stuart Scott
Leonard Nimoy
Wes Craven
the New England Patriots defeat the Seattle Seahawks, 28-25,
in Super Bowl 49.
In the NCAA Basketball Championship,
the Duke Blue Devils defeat the Wisconsin Badgers, 68-63.
SPORTS
File photo/KANSAN
KANSAS 76
WEST VIRGINIA 69
Mar. 3, 2015
Mason seals win over West Virginia
SCOTT CHASEN
originally published in 2015
D own 57-49 with less than two-minutes to go, the Jayhawks appeared to be on their way to losing their final home game of the season, while missing out on a chance to clinch the Big 12 title outright at home.
Brannen Greene stepped up to the line and knocked down a couple of free throws, and then Jamari Traylor followed with a layup to cut the West Virginia lead to four. However, the Jayhawks still needed to make up the rest of the margin, and time was running out.
Enter Frank Mason III.
After the game, Kansas coach Bill Self couldn't help but chuckle when asked about his point guard's performance down the stretch, despite playing so many minutes.
Mason would rattle off eight more points, accounting for just under 50-percent of the team's scoring in the extra period, despite having played a game-high 42 minutes. The Jayhawks would go on to win 76-69, despite trailing at one point by 18 points.
The sophomore from Petersburg, Virginia rattled off back-to-back baskets on consecutive possessions, and when the second half had finally come to a close, the Jayhawks had managed to tie the game at 59. At that point, Mason had scored 11 points, but wasn't even close to being finished.
"We couldn't get anything to fall; guys were missing threes," Mason said. "Not once did I think [we would lose]. We kept believing in each other."
"I felt like nobody [could] stay in front of me," Mason said. "Every time I had the ball, I could make something positive happen."
Mason finished the game with 19 points and seven rebounds, but to him, it wasn't at all about the stats. Only one thing was on his mind: Winning.
"He's in great shape," Self said with a smile.
Mason also said that he drew inspiration from the 2008 National Championship team that won the title despite being down nine points with less than two minutes left. He said the "little things like that" were what let the team know that
they could make a run, and he certainly played like it down the stretch.
With the win, the Jayhawks secured the Big 12 title outright, but the game held a little extra meaning in Mason's mind, for a couple of reasons. With it being the final home game of the year,
the Jayhawks had one last chance to get a win for senior Christian Garrett, but Mason added that the win was for even more than just the senior.
18-game double round robin. Kansas will play at Texas Tech, while Oklahoma will host Kansas State on Saturday.
"January 4th is too early to be having games like this," Self said. "It was a great way to showcase a great league and certainly everyone is going to be talking Big 12 now."
"We wanted to do it for [Christian], but also for the program [and] for the fans," Mason said. "We made it happen."
If Monday night's game was any indication, the rematch on February 13 in Norman will be must watch television.
- Edited byVicky Diaz-CamachoThe 6-foot-4 Wichita native, came in averaging 24.7 points per game, but after a 46-point outburst, he is well on his way to becoming just the third player in the history of the Big 12 to average more than 25 points a game. The other two were Kevin Durant of Texas and Michael Beasley of Kansas State.
Ellis, the other Wichita native, also had a strong game. The Kansas forward totaled 27 points on 11-of-28 shooting in 53 minutes. It was the 17th 20-point game of his career and fourth this season.
Then potentially again in the Big 12 tournament.
Both Ellis and Mason logged 53 minutes. The latter wasn't near as effective on the offensive end. However, he spent the majority of the second half chasing Hield around. He guarded the reigning conference player of the year in all three overtimes with four fouls.
And potentially deep in the NCAA tournament.
Now both teams must turn their attention ahead after the physical draining game. This was just the second conference game of an
BY THE NUMBERS
610- Kansas shot 610 free throws, putting them at sixth best in the country
U. S. resumes diplomatic relations with Cuba, commemorated by President Barack Obama's visit to the country.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter resigns amid corruption scandal in June.
51-- Kansas' defense held Texas Tech to just 51 points in their second meeting. The Raiders were held to a field-goal percentage of just .333.
NEWS
.196-- Against Kentucky, Kansas shot .196 in their 72-40 loss early in the season.
JUSTICE. EQUITY. DIFFERENCE.
TWO NEW MINORS & A NEW CERTIFICATE
Think your major is adequately preparing you for the job market?
Think again.
The 21st century work force is one that demands
The 21st century work force is one that demands critical skills in verbal and written communication and research, the ability to examine varied perspectives and work with diverse others, and multicultural and multinational awareness and understanding.
No matter your major, your resume must reflect this basic knowledge and fundamental set of skills.
Enhance who you are.
Enhance who you are. Enhance what you have to offer. Let American Studies prepare you for a future beyond KU.
OUR CERTIFICATE: Race and Ethnicity in the U.S. (New)
OUR MINORS:
Latino/a Studies
Social Justice in the U.S. (New)
American Studies (New)
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