ST. LOUIS, Mo. - With almost as much suspense as the national title game of 2008, the No. 1 University of Kansas basketball team outlasted Memphis, 57-55, at the Scottrade Center in the Hall of Fame Classic.  A last second missed three by Memphis preserved the KU win.

Cole Aldrich was named MVP of the game as he finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots to lead Kansas.

Kansas jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Memphis scored the next five to give the Tigers their only lead of the first half at 5-4. KU went on an 11-4 run, and after a turnaround baseline jumper from Aldrich, Memphis called for timeout.  The Tigers then closed the gap and KU led 16-14 at the under eight media timeout.

Aldrich continued to be active, scoring on a lob from Marcus Morris and a two-handed slam off a Morris miss as KU maintained extended its advantage to as many as six when it led 24-18.

The first half ended on a positive note for Kansas. Holding for the last shot, Collins drove the ball to the hoop and had his shot blocked. As he was recovering from the floor, Tyshawn Taylor hustled back, stripped the ball from the Tigers, and whipped it back to Collins for the shot at the buzzer. KU led 26-20 at the break to match its biggest lead.

Aldrich paced KU in the first half with eight points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. Collins added seven points and four boards.  The Jayhawks outshot the Tigers 41.7 percent to 28.0 percent from the floor, and outrebounded UM 21-12.

Memphis cut the Jayhawk lead to three to open the second half, before Kansas went on a 12-5 run to go ahead by 10 at the 13:56 mark. Markieff Morris blocked a Willie Kemp attempt and pitched ahead to a streaking Xavier Henry who layed it in to give KU the double-digit lead.

Memphis called a quick timeout and then started to pick at the lead, but could get no closer than five until the 5:18 mark when Elliot Williams hit a three to cut the KU lead to 46-42.  By the 2:59 mark the lead was down to three at 48-45.

During the Memphis comeback, Kansas was largely without the services of Collins who initially went down at the 13 minute mark with cramping.  Collins tried to come back after briefly sitting down, but ultimately had to go to the locker room for treatment.

Collins re-entered the game at the 3:47 mark and, after the Memphis possession cut the lead to three, immediately brought energy to the floor as he spun to the hole and dished to Aldrich for a thunderous dunk that brought the crowd to its feet.

But Memphis was not just going to go away as the final three minutes were a slugfest.  With just under a minute, Tiger Doneal Mack hit a long range three.  Up two with 48 seconds remaining, KU had possession and called timeout.

Collins drove to the basket and put up a floater.  Goaltending was called on Will Coleman and KU led 56-52 with 29 seconds to play. Williams then hit another long three, this time while falling down and KU was up 56-55 with 16 ticks to left.

A Memphis foul put Collins at the line, where he missed the first off the front of the rim and made the second.  Memphis held for the final shot and went for the win as Williams got a good look at the game winning three that bounced off.

Aldrich led Kansas with 18 points and 11 boards for his 23^rd career double-double.  Collins added 12 points and Xavier Henry finished with 11.  Williams led all scorers for Memphis with 21 points to go with six boards.

Kansas shot 46.5 percent from the floor compared to 34.5 percent for Memphis.  The Jayhawks outrebounded the Tigers 35-21.

Kansas will host Central Arkansas on Thursday, Nov. 19, in the second game of the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase. The Central Arkansas game will tip at 7 p.m. and be televised on Jayhawk TV.

Kansas' win over Hofstra...

... Marks the eighth-straight year KU has won its season-opener and gives the Jayhawks 18 wins in their last 19 season-opening games.

... Marks Kansas' 37^th-straight home-opening win.

... Makes the Jayhawks 1-0 against Hofstra and 2-0 against current membership of the Colonial Athletic Association.

… Extends the nation’s longest home court winning streak to 42 games.

... Improves Kansas head coach Bill Self's record to 170-40 at KU, 377-145 overall, and 1-0 against Hofstra.

... Makes Kansas 1,971-793 all-time.

Notes

-The contest marked the first action in a KU uniform for freshmen guards Elijah Johnson and Xavier Henry and forward Thomas Robinson.

-X. Henry’s 27 points were the most ever for a freshman in a debut game. The previous highest scoring freshman debut for a Jayhawk was 21 by Norm Cook on Dec. 1, 1973. X. Henry scored eight of the Jayhawks’ first 11 points.

- After Hofstra scored the first two points of the game, Kansas pulled ahead at the 19:17 mark with a three-pointer by X. Henry. Hofstra never led again.

-The Jayhawks’ 101 points are the most since defeating Texas Tech 109-51 at Allen Fieldhouse on March 3, 2008.  It also marked the 101^st 100-point game in Kansas history.

-KU’s 36-point victory margin was the most in a season opener since the Jayhawks defeated Maryland-Baltimore County by 64 points (122-58) on Nov. 23, 1991.

-Hofstra shot 36.6 percent (26-71) which marked the 75^th-straight game Kansas has held an opponent to under 50 percent shooting. The last opponent to shoot better than 50 percent against the Jayhawks was Louisiana-Monroe, which shot 51 percent (26-51) on Nov. 9, 2007, the season opener of 2007-08.

- Three Jayhawks scored in double-figures including senior guard Sherron Collins (23), junior center Cole Aldrich (11) and X. Henry. Collins’ 23 points was his personal best in a season opener.

-KU’s 27 three-point attempts are the most since 28 attempts versus Texas on March 16, 2008.

-KU scored 13 fastbreak points and held Hofstra to only four.

LAWRENCE, Kan. - True freshman Xavier Henry scored 27 points in his first college game to lead No. 1 Kansas to a 101-65 season-opening victory against Hofstra Friday.

The 27 points were the most by a Jayhawk freshman in his collegiate debut beating out the 21 points Norm Cook scored versus Murray State in 1973.

KU won its season opener for the eighth straight season and marked the 37^th straight year the Jayhawks won their home opener.  Kansas extended its nation-leading home-court winning streak to 42 straight games.  Utah State ranks second in the country with 34 consecutive home wins.

For the second time in the last 18 years Kansas scored 100 points in its season opener as the Jayhawks also reached 100 with a 107-78 victory against UL-Monroe to open the 2007-08 campaign.

The 36-point victory margin was KU's largest since beating Albany by 36 (79-43) on Dec. 30, 2008.

Preseason All-Americans Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins added 23 and 11 points respectively for the Jayhawks.  Hofstra was led by guard Charles Jenkins, who scored 23 points.  Halil Kanacevic came off the bench for the visitors to register a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Henry drilled a three-pointer for the Jayhawks' first basket of the game and made five of eight from three-point range on the night.  Overall, he was eight of 12 from the field and made all six of his free throw attempts.  The 6-6 guard also added five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal without a turnover in 24 minutes of play.

Hofstra scored the first basket of the game, but Kansas responded with a three-pointer by Henry, a dunk and free throw by Aldrich and a pair of free throws by Henry to jump out to an 8-2 advantage.

KU pushed the margin to 23-7 with a 10-point run.  After the Jayhawks led 31-14 Hofstra scored eight straight points to pull within 31-22.  However, KU responded with 10 consecutive points, including a crowd-pleasing dunk by Henry on a break-a-way to lead 41-22.

The Jayhawks took a 48-27 lead into the break as Collins had 12 points and Henry 10 in the first 20 minutes.

The first half was marred by fouls and Hofstra was whistled 18 times, including four fouls in five minutes by starting forward Greg Washington.  Three other Pride had three fouls by halftime.  The Jayhawks took advantage sinking 18 of 27 free throws in the first period. 

KU led by as many as 43 points in the second half, while shooting 50 percent from the field, including 47 percent (11 of 27) from three-point range.  Hofstra shot just 36 percent from the field and was out-rebounded 49-37.

The Jayhawks posted nine blocked shots on the night, including four by Aldrich.  The 6-11 junior center was four of five shooting from the field and added eight rebounds in 24 minutes of action.

Kansas will head to St. Louis, Mo. to meet Memphis on Tuesday, Nov. 17.  The game will be televised on ESPN beginning at 9 p.m.  The Jayhawks' next home game will be on Thursday, Nov. 19 when KU hosts Central Arkansas on Jayhawk TV at 7 p.m.

LAWRENCE, Kan. -

Kansas senior wide receiver Kerry Meier set a school record with 16 receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns, while senior quarterback Todd Reesing tied a school record with 37 completions for a career-high 442 yards and four touchdowns as No. 16 Kansas outlasted Iowa State 41-36 here Saturday.

Before a crowd of 48,203 at Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium, Kansas improves to 5-0 for the second time in three years, and 1-0 in Big 12 Conference play. Iowa State drops to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in league play.

Reesing's main two targets for the afternoon were Meier, with his record-setting 16 receptions and junior wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe, who had 12 catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Meier and Briscoe ended the day as KU's career receptions leaders with Meier first at 167 and Briscoe at 165. For Reesing, it was his second 400-yard passing day.

Despite the offensive fire power displayed by the Jayhawks, the team needed a fourth-down stop at its own 31-yard line to solidify the win.

Trailing by five with 2:36 remaining in the game, ISU regained possession on its own 34-yard line and marched to the KU 31 before the Jayhawks' defense held fast to produce a turnover on downs. KU defensive back Chris Harris made a huge tackle of Iowa State receiver Jake Williams on second-and-10 and then broke up the third-down pass, resulting in a fourth-and-nine attempt for the Cyclones. On fourth down, pressure forced ISU quarterback Austen Arnuad's pass to sail incomplete.

KU scored what proved to be the winning touchdown when Reesing hit Meier in the end zone with a six-yard touchdown pass, giving Kansas a 41-30 with 8:42 remaining on the game clock. Reesing went 5-for-6 for 61 yards on the drive, while Meier caught three passes and tallied his fifth touchdown of the season.

On the ensuing possession, Iowa State put together a 10-play, 69-yard scoring drive that ended with a five-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Darius Darks. The pass attempt for the two-point conversion failed, as Kansas maintained a 41-36 lead.

Kansas answered an ISU touchdown to tie the score at 6-6 when Reesing engineered a 13-play, 81 yard drive capped by a one-yard touchdown run from freshman Toben Opurum, marking his fifth-straight game of having at least one touchdown.

Iowa State took a 12-6 lead at the start of the second quarter on a seven-yard touchdown run by running back Alexander Robinson.

Kansas took a 13-12 lead after a six-play, 60-yard drive was punctuated by a three-yard touchdown pass from Reesing to Meier. Reesing completed five passes for 54 yards on the drive, three of which were to Meier.

The Jayhawks increased their lead to 20-12 just before intermission when Reesing scored on a four-yard run, marking his fourth rushing touchdown of the season.

Iowa State came out aggressive in the second half, scoring on its first two possessions. Mahoney converted a 34-yard field goal to start the third quarter, followed by a two-yard rushing touchdown by Arnaud. The two-point conversion to Williams was good, bringing the score to ISU 23-KU 20.

The teams traded touchdowns before the end of the third period, bringing the score to 30-27.

It only took two plays for Kansas to reclaim the lead, as the passing game prevailed once again. The scoring drive started with a nine-yard completion to Meier, placing the ball on the ISU 46-yard line. Reesing then connected on a 46-yard touchdown pass to Briscoe to give the Jayhawks a 34-30 lead.

Senior safety Darrell Stuckey and Thorton led the Kansas defense with 14 tackles a piece. Senior linebacker Arist Wright tallied 11 tackles, while junior linebacker Drew Dudley added eight.

Kansas will now travel to Colorado to the Buffaloes at 6 p.m. CDT on Fox Sports Net.

-Kansas has started 4-0 for the eighth time in school history and the second time in the last three years.

-The crowd of 50,025 marks the Jayhawks sixth-straight game over 50,000 fans and 10th 50,000+ crowd in their last 12 games.

-KU is 26-4 at home since the beginning of the 2005 season.

-KU has won 20 consecutive home non-conference games since losing the 2003 home opener to Northwestern.

-KU has won 20 of its last 22 non-Big 12 conference games including three bowl victories.

-KU is 27-7 in its last 34 games overall dating back to late 2006.

-KU is 24-7 in the month of September in the Mark Mangino era.

-KU has won six-straight games dating back to last season.

-Senior Kerry Meier caught 10 passes for 141 yards, besting his previous career high of 136 yards vs. Sam Houston State last year.

-Meier's 62-yard touchdown reception marks the Jayhawks longest touchdown of the season and longest since Todd Reesing's opening-play touchdown strike to Dezmon Briscoe for 80 yards in the 2008 Insight Bowl.

-Meier's 141 receiving yards marks the second time this season he has registered 100-plus yards in a game receiving and the seventh time of his career. Meier has recorded triple-digits in receiving yards in four of his last six games.

-Freshman Toben Opurum rushed for 109 yards, marking the first time since Clark Green in 2002, that a KU freshman ran for over 100 yards. Green achieved the feat twice during his freshman campaign.

-Junior linebacker Justin Springer made his first-career start.

-Briscoe's 20-yard touchdown scamper marks the first rushing touchdown of his career.

-Todd Reesing's 331 total yards of offense propels him past former Texas quarterback Vince Young for seventh on the all-time Big 12 total offense list. Reesing has 9,359 career total offense yards.

-Reesing tossed three touchdown passes and has now thrown a touchdown in an NCAA active player-best 22 consecutive games.

-Freshman Toben Opurum's 12-yard touchdown catch marked his first receiving touchdown of his Jayhawk career.

-Darrell Stuckey's forced fumble in the second quarter gave him three career forced fumbles.

-Meier, Briscoe, McDougald, and Johnathan Wilson each grabbed at least four passes today marking the third straight game where the Jayhawks have had at least four players make four catches.

-For the second consecutive game, the Jayhawks scored at least one touchdown in each quarter.

-The Jayhawks 14 points in the first quarter are the most points they have scored in the first quarter this season.

-Junior Jake Laptad has been on a sack in each of the four games this season.

-The seven-point scoring margin is the closest game at Memorial Stadium since the Jayhawks edged Colorado by five points in 2006.

-KU scored 30-plus points for its fourth-straight game.

-Junior Chris Harris set a career-high in tackles with 15.

-Junior Drew Dudley also set a career-high in tackles with 10.

-The Jayhawks had two kickoff returns of over 45 yards with a 47-yard return by freshman McDougald and a 50-yard return by Stuckey.