(IU RELEASE)
Opening Tip
• Indiana University continues its 124th season of competition in men’s basketball with a Saturday afternoon showdown against No. 2/2 Kansas. Tip is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 16 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with a nationally televised broadcast on CBS.
• Kansas (9-1) enters the game on a five-game winning streak and holds wins over Kentucky (89-84), Tennessee (69-60), UConn (69-65), and Missouri (73-64) this season.
• Senior center Hunter Dickinson, a Michigan transfer, leads the Jayhawks in scoring (19.4 points per game), rebounding (12.6), and total blocks (13). Fifth-year senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. has produced a pair of triple-doubles this season and is averaging 19.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists a night.
• Indiana (5 national titles) and Kansas (4) are two of the seven men’s college basketball programs with at least four NCAA Championships.
Game Information
Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023 • 12:30 PM ET
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) • Bloomington, Ind.
TV: CBS (Rich Waltz, Jim Spanarkel)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
Series History: Indiana leads, 8-7
Last Meeting: KU 84, IU 62 on Dec. 17, 2022 in Lawrence
Series History
• Indiana and Kansas have played 15 times in men’s basketball with the Hoosiers earning victories on eight occasions. The Hoosiers are 3-0 all time in Bloomington against the Jayhawks.
Games in Bloomington
Indiana 59, Kansas 56 (Dec. 6, 1971)
Indiana 72, Kansas 59 (Dec. 5, 1973)
Indiana 80, Kansas 61 (Dec. 17, 1994)
• The Hoosiers toppled No. 3 Kansas by 19 points to extend its 47-game home winning streak behind monster offensive outputs from Brian Evans (29 points) and Alan Henderson (22). The program-best win streak would hit 50 before ending on Jan. 24, 1995.
• IU took down KU to claim both the 1940 and 1953 NCAA Championship crowns. The Hoosiers won the program’s first title in ’40 by a score of 60-42 behind double-figure scoring efforts from Marv Huffman (12), Jay McCreary (12), and Paul Armstrong (10). The ’53 title came in a 69-68 win on the strength of a 30-point, 10-rebound outing from Don Schlundt. Charley Kraak added a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Bob ‘Slick’ Leonard tallied 12 points.
• IU will look to avenge an 82-64 KU victory at Phog Allen Fieldhouse a season ago. Forward Trayce Jackson-Davis swatted a career-high nine shots in the game, the most ever by a Jayhawk opponent.
Last Time Out
• Despite a hot start from behind the 3-point line, Indiana fell against Auburn, 104-76, in the Holiday Hoopsgiving event on Dec. 9 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
• Sophomore forward Malik Reneau posted 15 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while freshman guard Gabe Cupps contributed a career-high 11 points and five rebounds.
• Indiana hit a trio of 3-pointers to open the game and finished with a season-high six made 3-point field goals.
Hoosier Stripe Out
• For the first time in a decade, IU Athletics is coordinating a ‘Stripe Out’ against Kansas.
• Fans are encouraged to visit athletics.indiana.edu/stripeout/ to determine what color (red or white) should be worn.
IU Mourns the Loss George McGinnis
The Indiana men’s basketball program is saddened by the loss of Indiana University Athletics Hall of Famer George McGinnis (1950-2023). He was 73 years old.
“I loved George McGinnis,” Indiana men’s basketball head coach Mike Woodson said. “He meant so much not only to IU and the state of Indiana, but to the entire basketball world.
“I looked up to George growing up in Indianapolis. He meant so much to me as a player and more importantly as a man. George was a Hall of Famer on and off the court, and I am going to miss him so much. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the McGinnis family, his friends, and his teammates. Rest easy Big Mac.”
In his one year of varsity basketball at Indiana, McGinnis led the Big Ten in both scoring (29.9 points per game) and rebounds (14.7) to become the first sophomore in league history to lead the Big Ten in both categories. He was named to the Associated Press All-America Third Team and added to the All-Big Ten First Team before bypassing his final two seasons of eligibility as a hardship case. He was inducted to the IU Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 22, 2023.
Sophomore Jump for Reneau
• Sophomore forward Malik Reneau has posted double digits in the scoring column in all nine games this season, including seven efforts of at least 14 points. He notched a career-high 18 points against No. 5/4 UConn (Nov. 19).
• The Miami, Fla., native scored in double figures in seven games during his freshman campaign, while hitting 14 points or more just twice.
• Reneau is averaging 14.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 28 minutes per game.