Chicago, IL - Winners of 12 straight games, the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks will battle the eighth-seeded Kentucky Wildcats in second- round action of the NCAA Tournament from the United Center in Chicago this evening.
The Jayhawks made light work of Niagara in Friday's first-round action, routing the Purple Eagles, 107-67. With the victory, KU moved to 31-4 on the season. Kansas is making its 18th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the second longest active streak in the nation behind only Arizona (23). With a victory over Kentucky, Kansas will reach the Sweet 16 for a whopping 24th time.
Standing in the Jayhawks' way is the winningest team in NCAA Tournament history in Kentucky. The Wildcats are making their 16th straight appearance in the Big Dance (third longest active streak). The 'Cats have more tourney appearances (48), games played (140) and wins (98) than any other team in the country. The team added to its impressive tournament resume with Friday's 67-58 victory over Villanova. Kentucky has advanced to the Sweet 16 in nine of the last 12 seasons.
Kentucky has won 19 of the previous 24 meetings with Kansas. The winner of this matchup will move into the Sweet 16 against either Virginia Tech or Southern Illinois.
Kentucky advanced to the second round of this event for the 16th straight season, topping a tough Villanova team on Friday, 67-58. Center Randolph Morris led the charge, flexing his muscle inside with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds. Jodie Meeks (12 pts), Ramel Bradley (11 pts) and Joe Crawford (10 pts) added balance in the scoring column, as UK shot .455 from the floor and won the battle on the boards (37-30). In addition, Kentucky held Villanova to a mere .327 shooting from the field, including just .286 in the second half (8-of-28). Coming into the tournament, Morris led the team in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (7.7 rpg) and blocked shots (65), while shooting an impressive .592 from the floor. Crawford and Bradley provided plenty of perimeter support with 14.2 and 13.8 ppg, respectively.
One of the most efficient offensive teams in the nation this season, Kansas was once again on the mark in the 40-point romp over Niagara in Friday's first round. The Jayhawks shot .541 from the floor, including a sizzling .571 in the second half. Mario Chalmers led five Jayhawks in double figures with 19 points, as the sophomore hit 8-of-9 shots from the floor. Junior Russell Robinson added 16 points and eight assists, while freshman Sherron Collins came off the bench to tally 15 points and six helpers. Fellow freshman Darrell Arthur finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore Julian Wright tacked on a double-double with 10 points and 10 caroms. Leading scorer Brandon Rush added nine points, five rebounds and six assists for a solid all-around performance. The Jayhawks have gotten the job done at both ends of the court, averaging 79.3 ppg on .492 shooting, while limiting the opposition to just 61.2 ppg, on .372 shooting. Four players are currently averaging double digits, led by Rush's 13.6 ppg. Chalmers adds to the perimeter assault at 12.5 ppg. Wright (12.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and Arthur (10.2 ppg, team-high 52 blocks) give the team a solid presence in the paint.
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