Notebook

  • KU leads the all time series 2-0. The Jayhawks defeated the Wildcats, 86-79, last season at Allen Fieldhouse. Allan Ray scored 22, Curtis Sumpter 18 and Mike Nardi 16 for the Wildcats. Keith Langford scored 24 points and Wayne Simien 23 for KU. Now at Louisville, David Padgett had one of his best games as a Jayhawk with 15 points and nine boards.
  • Villanova was 0-3 in the Wachovia Center, home of the 76ers, last season with an overtime loss to UConn and losses to Memphis and Notre Dame. The Wildcats have yet to play in the building, which seats 20,444, this year.
  • Center Jason Fraser fractured his right hand during the second half of an overtime victory over Providence on Jan. 11. He’s out four to six weeks.
  • Villanova this year celebrates the 20th anniversary of its 1985 NCAA championship.
  • Curtis Sumpter, who averaged 17.4 points and 8.8 boards in the Wildcats’ first nine games, missed two games because of a right knee injury. He is averaging 16.1 ppg off 49.6 percent shooting.
  • The Cats have been to the doctor’s office a lot in recent seasons. In fact, in the last 22 months, Wildcat players have undergone at least 10 surgical procedures, including five knee operations, a pair of ACL reconstructions, two operations to repair a broken bone in the foot and one to correct a broken bone in the hand.
  • Last season, forward Marcus Austin missed 34 games because of a foot injury, Derrick Snowden five games recovering from ACL surgery and Jason Fraser nine because of a stress fracture in his left heel. This season, Fraser had his third knee surgery in the last two years Oct. 22 and missed almost all of preseason practice. Mike Nardi missed two weeks because of a sprained foot in the preseason. Kyle Lowry had ACL surgery in September and sat out the first seven games. Swingman Baker Dunleavy missed three games in December because of a broken nose, while guard Michael Claxton has yet to play because of a pair of separated shoulders.
  • Jay Wright is 61-49 in four seasons at Nova. He was 122-85 in seven seasons at Hofstra.
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Tale of the tape

Kansas

Points per game – 75.5

Rebounds per game – 40.5

Assists per game – 16.1

Steals per game – 7.7

Blocks per game – 4.2

Turnovers per game – 14.6

Field-goal percentage – 46.8

Free-throw percentage – 64.5

Three-point percentage – 36.1

Three-pointers per game – 6.5

Scoring margin – +14.6

Villanova

Points per game – 71.2

Rebounds per game – 38.7

Assists per game – 12.7

Steals per game – 7.8

Blocks per game – 6.6

Turnovers per game – 13.8

Field-goal percentage – 44.3

Free-throw percentage – 73.6

Three-point percentage – 32.8

Three-pointers per game – 6.3

Scoring margin – +12.8

Probable starters

KANSAS (14-0)

F — Wayne Simien (6-9, 17.0 ppg, 11.7 rpg)

F — Christian Moody (6-8, 6.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg)

G — J.R. Giddens (6-5, 10.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg)

G — Aaron Miles (6-1, 8.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 7.1 apg)

G — Keith Langford (6-4, 14.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg)

VILLANOVA (9-4)

F — Curtis Sumpter (6-7, 16.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg)

F — Will Sheridan (6-8, 3.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg)

G — Randy Foye (6-3, 14.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg)

G — Mike Nardi (6-1, 7.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.3 apg)

G — Allan Ray (6-2, 16.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg)