2012 » , but the Aggies are favored at home by a couple

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Jerrod Haase received a long, loud ovation upon his return to Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday.The rest of the cheers were for the Jayhawks.Frank Mason III scored 20 points, Devonte Graham delivered an early 3-point barrage and fourth-ranked Kansas pulled away late for an 89-74 victory over Stanford, spoiling the return of the Cardinals coach to the building where he once starred as a player.Certainly an emotional day, Haase said. My emotions right now are more frustrated we didnt play at a higher level, but for me personally, it means a lot -- the reception.The Jayhawks (7-1) hardly greeted him as warmly, using their speed, depth and outside shooting to turn a 43-35 halftime lead into another rout at a building that has seen its share of them.We talked about how they packed the lane and how we were going to have to drive, pitch and drive it again, Graham said. We just did a good job of moving the ball, attacking bad close-outs and having the confidence to let them fly.Graham hit five 3s and finished with 15 points, and Josh Jackson and Svi Mykhailiuk added 13 points apiece, as the Jayhawks won for the 44th consecutive time in their old barn.Reid Travis had a career-best 29 points and nine rebounds for Stanford (6-3), doing most of his damage at the free throw line. The career 54 percent free throw shooter was 19 of 22, breaking the school record for makes set by Todd Lichti against UC Santa Barbara during the 1987-88 season.Travis also set records for makes and attempts in a game against Kansas. Rayford Young of Texas Tech hit 18 foul shots in February 1999 and Iowa States Craig Brackins attempted 21 in January 2009.I felt like my teammates did a great job of establishing me early, getting me in the post, Travis said. I knew I had to draw a lot of fouls, get us to the line early and get a rhythm going.After falling into an early deficit, Kansas coach Bill Self began going with a bigger lineup to deal with Travis in the paint, and that seemed to open up Graham on the perimeter. He knocked down all five of his 3-pointers in the first half, helping the Jayhawks to a 43-35 lead.Stanford kept going to Travis inside, and the 6-foot-8 brute kept going to the free throw line. During two separate stretches of the second half, he made four free throws in less than a minute.He drew basically 17 fouls on four guys, so that just goes to tell you we didnt play the scouting report, Self said. Our guys just played butt-behind and let him go wherever he wanted to go.The Jayhawks showcased their versatility in other areas, though.Down the stretch, Jackson scored on a nifty dunk off an alley-oop pass, Mason got a tilting runner to go while crashing to the floor, and Mykhailiuk knocked down 3-pointers from the wing that sent the lead ballooning toward 20 late in the game.BIG PICTUREStanfords first-year coach played three seasons for the Jayhawks under Roy Williams, and later served as their director of basketball operations. Haase then followed Williams to North Carolina, but he was fondly received on Saturday, getting a massive ovation from an appreciative crowd.I remember clearly walking into Allen Fieldhouse when I was first recruited, Haase said, and I think Ill remember the feeling at shootaround today, walking into the arena.Kansas snapped a two-game skid against the Cardinal that included an NCAA Tournament loss in 2014, when Andrew Wiggins and Co. couldnt slow down Stanford in St. Louis. The Jayhawks were even able to get their benchwarmers some action for the third straight game.STATS AND STREAKMason led the Jayhawks in scoring for the fifth time in eight games. ... Kansas had 20 assists and only nine turnovers. ... Travis was just 5 of 14 from the field. ... Stanford was 2 of 8 from beyond the arc. ... The Cardinal only had seven assists on 21 field goals.UP NEXTStanford gets nearly two weeks off before playing Cal State East Bay on Dec. 16.Kansas continues its six-game home stand against Missouri-Kansas City on Tuesday night.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25.Zane Gonzalez Jersey . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Zeitler Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. http://www.cheapbrownsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-spencer-drango-jersey . Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. Jamie Meder Jersey . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. Simeon Thomas Jersey . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed.The first weekend of the college football season is loaded. Here are five things to know as you prepare to immerse yourself in football.BEST GAMENo. 1 Alabama vs. No. 20 USC? No. 10 Notre Dame at Texas? No. 18 Georgia vs. No. 22 North Carolina. No. 5 LSU vs. Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. And thats just to name a few. Lots of interesting matchups from which to choose, but the best looks as if it will be the last.No. 11 Mississippi faces No. 4 Florida State in Orlando, Florida, on Monday night. The Rebels are in a bit of a reload season after losing three first-round draft picks that were the heart of a team coming off two straight New Years Six bowl appearances. There is still plenty for the Ole Miss fans to be excited about, starting with Chad Kelly, one of the best quarterbacks in the country, throwing to a bunch of speedy receivers.Florida State seems set everywhere but quarterback. Redshirt Deondre Francois takes over a team with national title hopes. Dalvin Cook is one of the best running backs in the country and safety Derwin James is a versatile playmaker on defense.Add in some SEC-ACC bragging rights and you have the game of the week.HEISMAN WATCHNo player could do more for his Heisman Trophy hopes in Week 1 than Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. The 15th-ranked Cougars open against No. 3 Oklahoma at NRG Stadium, the home of the Houston Texans. If Ward, who passed for 2,828 yards, ran for 1,108 yards and accounted for 38 touchdowns last season, has a big game and leads the Cougars to an upset, he can vault himself into the heart of a crowded field of Heisman contenders that includes three of the top four vote-getters from last season.If Ward and the Cougars play a clunker, you can probably scratch him off the list of possible winners.NUMBERS TO KNOW-Longest current season-opener winning streaks:Florida -- 26. The Gators play UMass at the Swamp.USC -- 17. The Trojans face Alabama in Arlington, Texas.Ohio State -- 16. The Buckeyes host Bowling Green.-Nebraska coach Mike Riley and Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall each enter the season with 99 victories. The Cornhuskers open the season at home against Fresno State. Mendenhalls first game as Cavalierrs coach is home against FCS power Richmond.dddddddddddd(SLIGHTLY) OFF THE RADARBYU opens against Arizona at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, marking the return of Cougars QB Taysom Hill for a sixth season of eligibility.Hill lost most of each of the last two seasons to injuries. He also did a Mormon mission at the start of his career. So now at 26, a quarterback who was in the same recruiting class in 2009 as Matt Barkley, gets one more chance to lead the Cougars. When healthy Hill drew comparisons to Tim Tebow. He won a tight competition with Tanner Mangum to win the starting job.The Arizona game is the first in a string of high-level opponents for the independent BYU. Also on the schedule: Utah, UCLA, West Virginia, Toledo, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Boise State and Cincinnati. All of those teams played in bowl games last season. All but Cincinnati spent at least one week ranked.Regardless of how well the Cougars do, a full season from Hill will be a victory.COACH IN NEED OF A WINIts never too early to start the hot seat watch.Texas A&Ms Kevin Sumlin and Auburns Gus Malzahn enter the season with pressure to change the trajectory of their programs. Both start with huge home openers. The Aggies take on No. 16 UCLA and Auburn host No. 2 Clemson and Deshaun Watson.Big challenges and great opportunities to show things are headed in the right direction. Also, a chance to start 0-1 in front of the home crowd.For Auburn, a solid showing against a team that pushed Alabama in the championship game could make a loss in the opener palatable to Malzahns critics. Thats not necessarily the case for Sumlin. UCLA has the ranking and the star quarterback in Josh Rosen, but the Aggies are favored at home by a couple points. It is a winnable game. The Aggies are 1-6 at Kyle Field against ranked teams under Sumlin. Fall to 1-7, with an always tough slate of SEC West games still ahead, and things almost immediately get uncomfortable in College Station, Texas.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP ' ' '