photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas center Jeff Withey soars in for a dunk over the Texas defense during the second half on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013 at Allen Fieldhouse.

1. Jeff Withey: Filled up the stat sheet with 15 points (5-for-11 shooting), 11 rebounds, four steals and two blocks. His four steals matched a season high for KU this year, as Travis Releford and Kevin Young both had accomplished the same feat once. Withey made five of seven free throws and had just one turnover in his 29 productive minutes.

2. Travis Releford: The senior got KU’s offense rolling with a pair of three-pointers early and, as we’ve come to expect, produced an efficient line offensively. Releford tied the team-high with 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting, which included 4-for-5 accuracy from three-point range. The small forward added five rebounds, three assists and no turnovers in 31 minutes.

3. Ben McLemore: Had the highlight of the night, completing a 360 dunk with 4:11 left to cap KU’s win. The freshman posted 13 points (4-for-9 shooting) with six rebounds and three assists to go with two turnovers.

4. Elijah Johnson: His best game in a long time. The senior guard appeared to have some of his confidence return, as he was much more fearless with drives and finished better at the rim because of it. Johnson was 4-for-4 on layups (he was only 51 percent on close shots coming in), and that helped him produce a 12-point effort on 5-for-10 shooting. The senior added four assists and a steal to go with just one turnover — his lowest turnover total since the American game on Dec. 29, 2012.

5. Naadir Tharpe: Played well, but his minutes were limited because of Johnson’s production. The sophomore posted two points (1-for-3 shooting) with three assists, two steals and no turnovers in 15 minutes. Tharpe’s passing has become much better in the past few games, as he’s creating easy looks with dribble penetration and dropoff passes.

6. Kevin Young: A good energy game for Young was ruined by his inability to make close shots. The senior was just 2-for-7 on layups, but he still hustled his way to seven rebounds (four offensive) in 28 minutes. Young posted six points (3-for-8 shooting) with two assists, two steals and two turnovers.

7. Perry Ellis: Five points, two rebounds and 3-for-4 free throw shooting from Ellis, who appeared to struggle most when he was in at the same time as Jamari Traylor.

8. Jamari Traylor: The freshman displayed a nice spin move into a left-handed hook shot, but he made too many mistakes during his limited time (nine minutes). Traylor made his only shot but posted three turnovers.

9. Andrew White III: Missed a three-pointer (looked like maybe he was fouled?) and had a turnover in four minutes.

10. Justin Wesley: Had two fouls in four minutes.

11. Rio Adams: Checked in late in the first half, promptly turned it over in the back-court, was yanked and didn’t play the rest of the game.

KUsports.com Season Standings
1. Jeff Withey (198 points)
2. Ben McLemore (195 points)
3. Travis Releford (182 points)
4. Kevin Young (144 points)
5. Elijah Johnson (130 points)
6. Naadir Tharpe (127 points)
7. Perry Ellis (105 points)
8. Jamari Traylor (83 points)
9. Andrew White III (43 points)
10. Rio Adams (26 points)
11. Justin Wesley (16 points)

Big 12 Standings
1. Jeff Withey (107 points)
2. Ben McLemore (106 points)
3. Travis Releford (96 points)
4. Kevin Young (85 points)
5. Naadir Tharpe (66 points)
6. Elijah Johnson (55 points)
7. Perry Ellis (53 points)
8. Jamari Traylor (42 points)
9. Andrew White III (20 points)
10. Rio Adams (11 points)
11. Justin Wesley (9 points)