Livescore
Bill Self described Monday night’s showdown with Texas as something close to a must-win game as it pertains to Kansas’ goal of winning at least a share of the Big 12 title for the 17th time in 20 seasons under its Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coach. Right from the jump, the Jayhawks played like it with an obvious sense of urgency.
The result was a victory.
Final score: KU 88, UT 80.
The Jayhawks led by as many as 14 points in the first half before holding on for the eight-point victory inside a sold-out Allen Fieldhouse. Somewhat surprisingly, they won the game despite getting just two points from their leading scorer (Jalen Wilson) and only six points from the 3-point line.
“We knew we had to come in here and get the win,” said Kansas freshman Gradey Dick, who had the Jayhawks’ only two 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 21 points. “The big thing, just in preparation for the week, was coming out with energy. When we do that, we’re a scary team.”
Had Kansas lost, the Jayhawks would’ve dropped to 6-5 in the Big 12 while the Longhorns improved to 9-2 and secured a three-game lead in the league standings over KU with just seven conference games left to play. That’s why Self labeled this something close to a must-win game, because instead of being three games back of first-place Texas with seven to play, the Jayhawks are now just one game back of first-place Texas with seven to play.
“You go down three games with seven left, you’d have to win out and get a lot of help from others [to still win at least a share of the Big 12],” Self said. “Now … if we play well, we have a shot.”
Like most Big 12 games, this was a Quadrant-1 opportunity for Kansas, meaning the Jayhawks now have a national-best 10 Q1 wins. That’s among the reasons Kansas is up to No. 4 in Tuesday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Purdue remains No. 1 for the 16th consecutive day.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
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