KU gets its revenge over the Cyclones 89-76

#8 19-3 8-1

#11 16-5 6-3

"Revenge is a dish best served cold" 

16 days ago, the Cyclones of Iowa State, handed the Kansas Jayhawks their 3 loss on the season and 1st in conference play with a 86-81 loss. No doubt Iowa State showed up to play and "Hilton Magic" could have played a factor in the the loss, but magic isn't real. The PHOG, that is real my fiends!

Courtesy: kusports.com

The Jayhawks won the tip, but turned the ball over in the first 8 seconds. Fortunately Iowa State's Monte Morris turned it back over leading to a monster dunk by Freshman Kelly Oubre Jr. No better way to get everyone fired up than a huge dunk!

Iowa State's Naz Long was quick to answer back with 3, putting the Cyclones on the board. Oubre hit a layup giving Kansas a 1 point lead, only to be erased by Iowa States Georges Niang nailing a 3. This was quickly turning into true grudge match. 

Both teams went ice cold. Neither team could hit water if they fell out of a boat. Selden was fouled by Long, sending him to the line. Selden hit the tailed end of his free throws ending the drought. Both teams had gone over 2 minutes without a bucket. Junior Perry Ellis and Freshman Cliff Alexander each hit a bucket, but Iowa State started getting warm. Iowa State's Morris, Niang, Dustin Hogue and Jameel McKay all started heating up. With 10:39 left, Iowa States lead was taking off. Kansas trailed 16-9. 

Ellis hit a jumper ending another 2 minute Kansas drought. Sophomore Brannen Greene checked in after the last timeout and got right to work, nailing a huge 3. Greene has been lights out from behind the arc since his 5/5 performance against Georgetown. Ellis followed with a 3 of his own on the next possession. Head Coach Fred Hoiberg could take no more and called time. The Jayhawks had battled back to within 1 point. 

Niang came out of the timeout and hit a jumper. Iowa State started to cool down. Greene was fouled by Naz Long and would hit the tail end of this free throws. Kansas was within 2. On what is now becoming Greene's calling card, Greene caught a quick pass from Freshman Devonte' Graham and nailed another 3. Kansas now had the lead by 1. 21-20. 

Courtesy: ESPN.com

The lead changed once again when Morris hit a layup. Sophomore Landen Lucas fought his way to the paint and grabbed himself a bucket, taking the lead once again. Graham powered his way to the rim and made a layup. Iowa State's Hogue tipped one in to get within 1 point, but Oubre was having none of that. Oubre nailed a huge 3, pulling Kansas away. I've spoken of that one bucket that shifts the momentum your way, and this was it. The crowd had come full circle

A TV timeout at just under 4 minutes did nothing to cool Oubre down. Oubre nailed another 3 pulling Kansas further way by 7. Niang and Morris fought back each getting a bucket and so did Junior Jamari Traylor. These men were gassed. Hands resting on knees and deep breathing let you know this game was an all out war. Neither team would give an inch. Ellis and Traylor would each grab one more bucket bringing the 1st half to and end. Kansas took a 7 point into the locker room. 35-28.

The Jayhawks held Iowa State to just 28 points on 41% shooting. The Jayhawks forced turnovers with 6 steals and 2 blocked shots. The Kansas defense decided to show up today!

Mason got the Jayhawks on the board with a quick jumper. 2nd half shooting on both ends looked out of control. Either both teams were still gassed or the full moon had taken over. Both teams combined for 6 missed shots in the first 2 minutes. Traylor and Ellis would end the drought with a couple of buckets, but so did Iowa State's Long and Morris. Kansas had managed to extend the lead to 11 with just over 17 minutes left to play.

Courtesy: kusports.com

Selden only logged 9 minutes with 1 point and 1 turnover in the 1st half. Stay tuned though, as Selden's best performance of the season was about to get unwrapped! At the 17:07 mark, Selden nailed a huge 3. Selden hit another jumper off a steal by Oubre. Selden wasn't done yet. Hitting another about 40 seconds later, had Hoiberg calling for a timeout. Kansas had extended the lead to now 15 points.

Niang started playing lights out. In the span of 2.5 minutes, Niang exploded with 7 unanswered points. Iowa State landed one helluva forward in him. If Niang returns for his Senior year, watch out!

Alexander was earning some quality minutes and going to battle on the boards, earning him a bucket.  Selden hit another 3, but Iowa State would not give an inch. Smoke could be seen coming out of his ears. Morris and McKay each hit a bucket brining the Kansas lead back down to 9 with 11:26 left to play. Kansas has seen this type of comeback from the Cyclones before. This game was far from being put away. Self called for time. Everyone including Hoiberg needed the break. These men were giving 150%.

Kansas came out of the next TV timeout on fire with 7 unanswered points. Mason hit a 3, Oubre brought the house down with another dunk and Selden's smoke had turned to a smoldering inferno after another huge 3! Iowa Sate called time. Kansas had pulled the lead to now 16 points. 61-45

Naz Long came out of the timeout and nailed a 3, cooling the Jayhawks down a bit. Oubre and Mason hammered back with a bucket a piece extending Kansas's lead to now 17 points. The Jayhawks were making a statement!

Iowa State' Bryce Dejean-Jones nailed a 3 and got fouled by Oubre on the next possession. Dejean-Jones hit both free throws cutting the lead down again. Oubre and Mason each answered with a bucket. Everyone was gassed, even the subs. This game had so far been a 34 minute all-out war between these two teams. Self called time to give everyone a break. KU had a mildly comfortable lead 69-53.

Courtesy: ESPN.com 

Shortly after the timeout, Selden being Selden, hit another 3 completely bursting into flames! Tonight was his night. Selden's had been due for a break out and what better team and place to make it happen than Iowa State in Allen Fieldhouse! Kansas had its largest lead of the night with 19 points.

As I've said before, Iowa State is no lay-down team. The last 5 minutes were played harder than the first 35. Iowa State's Dejean-Jones, Long, McKay and Niang starting making every shot count. Fortunately so did KU's Ellis, Mason and Selden. Mason was fouled by Monte Morris while shooting a 3. Mason hit 2/3 from the line and Ellis bought down the house with a huge dunk. Ellis was fouled and earned a trip to the line. Ellis turned his dunk into an old fashioned 3 point play. Dejean nailed a 3, cutting the lead back down to 10 points with 2:35 left to play. This game was far from over folks.

Kansas has been up and down all year on free-throws. This game would be won at the line tonight. Traylor was playing with 3 fouls and had calmed Niang down with his defense. Iowa State started targeting Traylor with every possession. Fortunately Traylor was not going to let that happen. Traylor picked up a steel which turned into another layup for Selden.

Courtesy: EPSN.com

With just under 2 minutes left to play. Iowa State started the foul game. As said before, free-throws were going to make or break the Jayhawks tonight. Jameel McKay covered every Jayhawk inbounds play like white on rice. One has to wonder why this kid isn't in the starting 5. McKay is going to be a huge PIA come tournament time. Iowa State put the full court pressure on the Jayhawks at every step.

It just wasn't going to cut it tonight though. Graham, Greene, Ellis and Mason ended up hitting 8 of 10 free-throws in the last 2 minutes. Iowa State made a valiant effort, but came up short. The Jayhawks earned their revenge taking down the Cyclones 89-76. Revenge is sweet!

Iowa State fell to 16-5 on the season and 6-3 in conference play, putting them in 3rd place behind West Virginia and Kansas. Kansas held 1st place with a game up on WVU at 8-1 in conference play.

The Jayhawks travel to Stillwater this Saturday to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Back in January, Kansas handed the Cowboys a 10 point loss in Allen Fieldhouse. Every time these two teams meat, Technical fouls and elbows are handed out like Tic-Tacs. Oklahoma State has lost 3 of the last 5 games since getting beat by the Jayhawks. Including both Bedlam games. This will no doubt be one of the toughest road games left in the season. Tip off in Gallagher-Iba Arena is at 1pm and can be seen on ESPN.

!!!ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!

Courtesy: kusports.com

Jayhawks take the 208th Sunflower Showdown 68-57

12-10 5-4

#9 18-3 7-1

Over the last few days a lot of hype has gone in to this match up. The Sunflower Showdown is more than just a conference game, its bragging rights and the right to trash talk the other school for a few weeks. Kansas leads the series all time 187-92. When the Wildcats win it, they make DVD's and T-shirts. When the Jayhawks win it, they move on to the next game like any other win!

Courtesy: kansas city star.com

1st half got started off with some of the hottest energy and the most aggressive defense this writer has seen all year. Kansas State won the tip, but KU got the on the board first with a seat clearing dunk by Freshman Kelly Oubre Jr. Junior Perry Ellis has been in a slump lately, but that can all be put to bed. Ellis was attacking the board on both ends and started getting hot. Starting with a quick jumper putting Kansas up by 4, Ellis followed with a layup and a monster dunk getting this crowd completely energized! Both Ellis and Oubre grabbed every rebound on both ends. The Jayhawks had this completely under control. At the first media timeout, Kansas was up 10-4 on the Wildcats.

Sophomore Wayne Selden Jr. exploded out his shell getting a steal, blocked shot and a huge 3. Sophomore's Brannen Greene added his own 3 and head coach Bruce Webber had enough and called time. Webber looked more like an angry Frank Martin in that timeout. The Wildcats could not get anything going on either end. After the timeout, KSU still could get nothing going. 3 missed shots 0 rebounds and Ellis and Oubre each getting a bucket. KU had a commanding lead 20-5 with 11:36 left.

Courtesy: kusports.com

KSU came out of the next TV timeout strong. Thomas Gipson and Nino Williams each put up buckets. Kansas had hit a wall. Going almost 2.5 minutes without a bucket, The Wildcats started chipping away at the lead. Oubre was fouled hitting both shots and Ellis would hit a bucket to end the droubt. Gibson would answer back with one more bucket and, then KSU went cold. It would be another full two minutes before KSU would score again.

Ellis was having a fantastic day. Around the 6 minute mark, Ellis would put on an amazing spin move and drive to the rim. Getting fouled, Ellis made the shot count for an old fashion 3pt play. Folks I can honestly say, Ellis had his mojo back. Seeing how hard this young man has played today, has made the entire season of ups and downs for him well worth it!

The remainder of the 1st half was all Marcus Foster for KSU. Foster would go on to make 3 more buckets, but so would Greene, Oubre and Junior Jamari Traylor. KU would go into the half up 16 points on the Wildcats 33-17.

KSU came out in the 2nd half strong, with a bucket inside by Thomas Gipson.  Selden answered with a huge 3 bringing this crowd full circle. The Wildcats kept the heat up with Gipson getting fouled with an and-one and Foster nailing a 3. Ellis and Traylor each added a bucket and from out of now where, Selden sent one hammering home. If the crowd needed some energy, Selden gave it to them with that dunk. Thankfully I still have a job as my co-workers went scattering and I got "the look" from the boss! At the 15 under TV timeout, the Jayhawks were leading the Wildcats 42-27. I'll give credit to KSU, they had turned the heat up full force, fortunately so did the Jayhawks.

The next 3 minutes was an all out battle. KSU's Gipson, Foster and Wesley Iwundu all had great buckets and pulled down 3 rebounds. The Jayhawks fought back with a huge 3 from Selden and Mason going strong to the basket for a layup. Freshman Cliff Alexander pulled down 2 rebounds as well. The energy level on both ends was full force, a true Sunflower Showdown!

Foster and Gipson were not giving an inch in this half. While Gipson couldn't get anything going in the first half, he was really making a strong presence now. Foster who had an average first half, was exploding in the 2nd chipping away at the lead. KU kept the pressure from behind the arc limiting Foster to just two 3's for the entire 2nd half.

Courtesy: kusports.com

Greene and Freshman Devote' Graham started lighting the Wildcats up. In the span of 3 minutes, both would rack up 10 points. At the 8:03 mark, Graham hit a layup and got in Fosters face bringing down the old school yard smack. Unfortunately it was obvious as a 900 pound yellow hippo in the snow and got T'd up. While I love fouls as much as getting kicked in the nuts, a little school yard trash talk on the Cats is worth every point that Gipson scored. If you were wondering, yes he hit both.

After Selden and Traylor grabbed almost every rebound, Traylor being Traylor stealing the ball and Mason lighting the Cats up, Webber had enough and called time. Hearing the roar of 16,300 fans after Traylor goes ballistic, would make any coach do what it took to kill this momentum. Foster kinda slapped them in the face with a big 3 immediately after the timeout though.

Courtesy: kusports.com

At the 1:33 mark KSU's Jevon Thomas hit a jumper and Webber called time. If this were anything close to tight game I might understand it, but KU was up by 14 points. So when Steven Hurt nailed a 3 pointer just 30 seconds later and Webber called another time, the only answer this writer was left with was Webber had contracted the Phog baby!!!!

Hurt would hit another 3 with 16 seconds left, but that would be it for the Wildcats. A solid effort by Kansas State was no match for the Jayhawks. KU would pull off round 1, with a score of 68-57 brining the all time to 188-92. Round 2 of the Sunflower Showdown will be in Manhattan on February 23rd. This writer can't wait. Unit then, bragging rights belong in Lawrence.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold" 

The Cyclones of Iowa State travel to Lawrence this Monday for a rematch the Jayhawks have been waiting for. Iowa State handed the Jayhawks their only conference loss of season 86-81 back on January 17th in Ames. No "Hilton Magic" will be present this time, as it will be checked at the door. Tip off in Allen Fieldhouse will be at 8 pm central time. This game is set to be the a huge matchup for the season and do or die for both teams.

!!!ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!

208th Sunflower Showdown Part 1 Preview

#9 17-3 6-1

12-9 5-3

208th Match up of the Sunflower Showdown

Jayhawks lead the series overall at 187-92. 

KU controls Allen Fieldhouse at 83-55. 

KSU controls Bramlage Coliseum at 75-46.

The Wild Cats have not won in Allen Fieldhouse since January of 2006 when they handed KU a loss 59-55.

The Kansas State Wildcats head to Lawrence Kansas tomorrow to take on the Kansas Jayhawks. Tip off in Allen Fieldhouse is at 1 pm central time and can been seen on ESPN.

KSU IS ranked in the top 25 teams in the nation for free-throw shooting. This is an area that the Jayhawks will need to work on. Kansas has struggled from the line all season long. 

Courtesy: ksusports

Its been rumored that KSU will be playing without Senior forward Nino Williams. Williams injured his left knee against West Virginia Tuesday night. Wildcats coach Bruce Webber said Thursday that Williams sustained a "strain or sprain," and that he underwent three treatments earlier in the day. There was no structural damage, and Weber said Williams will not need Surgery. Williams has averaged over 11 points and 5 rebounds a game on the season. 

With Williams out, Kansas Junior's Perry Ellis and Jamari Traylor will have to get to work inside in the paint. KSU still has a giant in the paint with Senior forward Thomas Gipson. Gipson shoots 75% from the line and averages rebounds a game. A good rotation of Ellis, Traylor and Freshman Cliff Alexander, will give the Wildcats some headache inside. Sophomore Landen Lucas and Junior Hunter Mickelson will hopefully see some minutes. Half the KU squad was in foul trouble against TCU. With rotating Lucas and Mickelson, Head coach Bill Self was able to keep all but Ellis from fouling out. Both Lucas and Mickelson put up good numbers against TCU. Lucas went for 8 points, 3 blocked shots and 7 rebounds while Mickelson went for 4 points and 2 blocked shots.

At the time of this blog, Self has not released his starting 5 yet. One would only assume we will see Mason, Oubre, Ellis, Traylor and Selden, but I have a hope that Alexander will get the start over Ellis. Ellis has been in a scoring funk as of late. Turnovers and dumb fouls have plagued the Junior. Self may give him the start though, as KSU is a deep team with tons of experience. Also at the time of this blog, Self has no one on the injured list.

Courtesy: The Associated Press

Courtesy: kckingdom.com

Wildcat Sophomore Marcus Foster will be the main threat the Jayhawks will have to control. Foster is a very talented guard averaging 14 points a game. At almost 30 minutes a game, Foster is shooting 41% from the Arc and 71% from the line. My guess is Self will stick a combo of Selden/Mason and Selden/Graham on Foster and keep him contained behind the arc. As always, a guards best 3pt shooting night comes against the Jayhawks while in Allen Fieldhouse, so Foster must be contained.

The 208th Sunflower Showdown will be a great one. Kansas State is sitting 4th over all in the Big XII race and a win tomorrow could possible drop the Jayhawks into 2nd or 3rd place behind Iowa State and West Virginia. The Hawks will have their work cut out for them. 

!!!ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!

Jayhawks edges out TCU 64-61

#9 17-3

14-5

7-1 all time over the Horned Frogs, 3-1 since joining the Big XII and only 3 total conference wins. One would think heading down to Fort Worth would be more of a scrimmage than a conference match up. Tell that to the 2012-2013 team that was handed a 62-55 loss and they will tell you to never underestimate the Horned Frogs of TCU.

The Jayhawks came out strong winning the tip and a quick jumper by Junior Perry Ellis. Less than a

minute later, Ellis hit another jumper getting fouled and finishing off an old fashion 3pt play. Two dumb fouls on Ellis would send him to the bench, with just over 2.5 minutes played.

The next four minutes included 3 missed shots, 2 turnovers and 0 buckets for the Jayhawks. Two back to back buckets by TCU's Kenrich Williams and Kyan Anderson had the Frogs up 7-5 on the Jayhawks. With just over 16 minutes left Sophomore Frank Mason III finally ended the Jayhawks little drought with a quick jumper. 

Courtesy: kcstar.com

Directly after the media timeout, Freshman big man Cliff Alexander brought down the house with a monster dunk. That dunk by Alexander let us know how many KU fans made the trip. Quick note on TCU's fan base, their arena is under construction forcing this game to be played in a gym holding just over 4700 that was far from being sold out. Makes you appreciate Allen Fieldhouse!

Alexander followed with another jumper and Freshman Devonte Graham nailed a huge 3, along with a quick jumper. Sophomore Landen Lucas was fouled earning him a trip to the line. Hitting both free throws, Lucas followed them with a quick jumper. Kansas had hit a stride, TCU had gone ice cold and fans had to be wondering when this would stop. After a huge 3 by Sophomore Wayne Selden Jr., TCU finally called time. By then the damage had been done. KU had a commanding 23-10 lead with just over 10 minutes left to play.

Just when you think the Jayhawks would erase that TCU home win from their minds, it came back and it came back hard. Missed shots, turnovers and fouls started to plague the Jayhawks. Ellis was sitting on the bench with 2 early fouls. Alexander had picked up 2 fouls as well. Just like that, foul trouble had taken over the Jayhawks very early in the 1st half. While Kansas wasn't able to commit on either end of the court, TCU was. TCU's Anderson, Karviar Shepard and Williams each hit good buckets. When Chris Washburn hit another layup with just under 7 minutes left to play, Coach Bill Self had enough and called time. The tempo had completely switched in favor of the Horned Frogs. The Jayhawk lead had been cut from 13 down to 5.

Courtesy: kusports.com

I often wonder where this team would be without the leadership of one Frank Mason. Mason exploded with 2 quick layups. What made these even more impressive was Mason's bulldog like play. Mason powering to the rim, had TCU rethinking their whole defensive strategy. With Lucas, Ellis, Traylor and Alexander all in foul trouble, Self reached deep down in the bench. Junior Hunter Mickelson had earned some minutes. Mickelson had earned two quick back to back fouls, but stayed in. Off an assist by Selden, Mickelson channeled his inner "Withey" and slammed one home. Selden's drive in was full force, grabbing his own missed shot and slamming another dunk home. The Kansas fans were pleased! So when Mickelson pulled off a great block, it gave both the crowd and the bench some well needed excitement.

TCU never gave up in the first half. While KU had gotten some momentum going with all the foul trouble plaguing them, TCU stayed right there like a little mutt nipping at their heals. With just under 4 minutes left in the first half, Freshman Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk checked in. A quick turnover by Mykhailiuk resulted in a fast break by TCU. The Basketball Gods were looking down on the 17 year old, as TCU's Anderson missed the layup. Selden grabbed the rebound and found Mykhailiuk open behind the arc. He answered with a gorgeous 3, bringing the Jayhawk lead back up to 12.

Courtesy: TCU sports

TCU would not lay down. TCU had complete control of the boards on both ends. Stupid fouls on KU's end and blocked shots by TCU had the Jayhawks sitting ice cold. For almost 3 minutes the Jayhawks went scoreless. Fouls, turnovers and missed shots were starting to become the norm. Mickelson ended the shooting drought with a short jump shot. The first half came to a close. TCU had cut the Kansas lead down to just 6 going into the locker room.

TCU came out stronger in the 2nd half than I have seen them play all year long. 2 Kansas turnovers and missed shots paved the way for a Horned Frog run. 2.5 minutes into the 2nd half, KU was scoreless while TCU had hit 3 shots taking the lead by 1. The last TCU lead was at the 17:43 mark in the first half. Self was livid and called for a timeout.

Kansas would retake the lead off a jumper by Mason, but TCU's Williams would answer with one of his own. Ellis, who had sat all but a couple minutes in the first half, hit a quick jumper giving KU another lead. Williams would answer back to give TCU the lead. Thank the lord for a TV Timeout to slow the back and fourth. Coming out the timeout, TCU would hit a layup, giving the Horned Frogs a now 3 point lead. Mason was quick to answer with a bucket, as well as Sophomore Brannen Greene. TCU would lead no longer. The little mutt had been contained for now.

Courtesy: kusports.com

Lucas had been seeing some good minutes due to KU's foul trouble. After the under 12 TV timeout, Lucas got right to work with a blocked shot and 2 trips to the line. Lucas was aggressively attacking the rim and earned all 4 made free throws, giving the Jayhawks a 5 point lead. Mason and Graham would each hit a bucket, bringing the lead to 9. TCU called for a timeout. The tempo was slowly flowing towards the Jayhawks.

TCU's Anderson would hit a quick jumper bringing the KU to down to 7. For almost the next 3 minutes both teams were scoreless. Missed shots, turnovers and fouls would plague both teams. Ellis would end the drought after hitting 1 of 2 free-throws.

Fouls were the Jayhawks kryptonite this evening, more so towards the end of the 2nd half. If Self had more Bigs to pull off the bench, he would have. TCU went back to back 4/4 from the foul line and kept cutting away at the lead. Mason answered with two buckets and Alexander slammed another one home to pull further away. TCU's Anderson would go back to the line hitting both shots and Williams would hit a layup bringing KU's lead back down to 5, with 1:27 left. Self called for another timeout, slowing this late TCU run. TCU's Trey Zeigler would earn a trip to the line with an and-one, cutting the lead to 2. With the his 5th foul. Ellis was done. Ellis would log only 15 minutes but put up 8 points.

Courtesy: kusports.com

With 32 seconds left, TCU would Que the foul game. By the grace of God, Greene would go to the line 3 times. Greene has been clutch all season at the line. Having only missed 1 free-throw all season, Greene would go 5/6 in the last 30 seconds. TCU's Zeigler would hit a layup and Washburn would slam one down to pull the Horned Frogs within 3.

Mason was fouled by TCU's Charles Hill with 4 seconds left to play. TCU was down by 3 and Mason had the chance to make it a two possession game. I've said it a million times, but Free-Throws win games. Mason would not be able to commit. Mason missed both shots giving TCU one last hope of a tie.

TCU's Charles Hill would attempt one last long 3 pointer, but came up short. KU grabbed the rebound with .1 seconds left. That would be it for the Horned Frogs. KU had narrowly edged the Horned Frogs 64-61 preventing another KU upset in Fort Worth.

The Jayhawks would pull to 17-3 on the season and 6-1 in conference play. This win would give the Jayhawks a one game pad over the rest of the Big XII.

Courtesy: kusports.com 

The Wildcats of Kansas State will travel to Lawrence on Saturday January 31st. Tip off in Allen Fieldhouse is set for 1pm central time. The un-ranked Wildcats are looking for bragging rights. Allen Fieldhouse hasn't been friendly to the Wildcats and given two recent close losses to Iowa State and West Virginia, the Cats will be looking for blood. Perry Ellis is due for a breakout game and the Jayhawks will need everything has inside.

!!!ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!

Kansas out muscles the Cowboys 67-57

#24 2-2

#9 3-0

Since Mizzou jumped ship and headed to the SEC, Jayhawk fans have wanted a new heated rivalry. Thanks to Marcus Smart's on court black flips in Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas was gifted that hated rivalry. No worries though, Kevin Young took care of that "little" problem a few weeks later.

This was ever present last night, when the Kansas Jayhawks hosted the Oklahoma State Cowboys. If I told you that neither team shot over 50%, 71 free throws were attempted and 3 technical fouls were issued, you would instantly know that the Cowboys and Jayhawks were playing basketball somewhere!

Courtesy: kusports.com

Game started off ugly with the first points coming off a jumper from Sophomore Frank Mason III. OSU Junior Phil Forte finally put the Cowboys on the board but not until 2.5 minutes had been played. About a minute later, Forte nailed a 3 giving the Cowboys a 5-2 lead. OSU's Junior Michael Cobbins quieted the crowd down with a dunk and Junior Anthony Hickey made a layup 20 seconds later prompting Kansas Coach Bill Self to call time. Kansas had 4 turnovers, 3 coming from Junior Perry Ellis. Kansas looked horrible on both ends.

Freshman Kelly Oubre Jr. didn't waist any time after the break, nailing a big 3. However Oubre gave up 3 free-throws after fouling Forte behind the Arc. Forte showed his glamorous acting side jumping into Oubre. Regardless, Forte, the best free-throw shooter on the Cowboys, hit all 3 shots giving OSU a 12-7 lead on the Jayhawks. 

Courtesy: espnsports

Courtesy: kusports.com

What happened next had the basketball Gods grinning from ear to ear. Freshman Cliff Alexander, channeling his inner-beast, brought down the thunder on OSU 7-footer Anthony Allen and earned a trip to the line. When I say Twitter exploded, I honestly mean it. I had over 200 items on my feed about this dunk in just a few seconds. Alexander finished with the best He-Man impersonation of all time. Apparently the He-Man flex is frowned upon in this establishment as Alexander picked up a technical foul. Sports Center Top-10 and nominated for Dunk of the Year.......I'd say that T was well worth it!

To this point, Kansas only lead in the opening minutes. I've spoken about that "one moment" that shifts the momentum your way. Cliff's dunk was that moment. KU went from being 5 down to up 5 in just over 6 minutes. Buckets from Ellis, Mason and Freshman Devonte' Graham mostly came off free-throws. That said, KU was shooting horrible from the line. KU would end up going 15/24 for the half.

Courtesy: kusports.com

For the last couple of years, I have questioned how Head Coach Travis Ford handles his team. If you will remember Marcus Smart's pushing a fan and kicking chairs, Le'Bryan Nash is not far off. Oubre bumped Nash on a dead ball. Granted tensions were high and Oubre maybe not on purpose bumped him, but Nash shoved him back. I'll raise you a Jamari Traylor and Cliff Alexander to the rescue. Nash kept running his mouth. While team mates pulled Nash back, what I didn't see what Ford do much of anything to stop him. Who's running the team Coach Ford? After it was all said and done, both Traylor and Nash each earned themselves a technical foul. As a coach, I'd be livid, as a fan, I say protect your man! With foul shots off these technical's, OSU regained the lead, but only for a short time. Oubre, Graham, Ellis and Mason wouldn't let up. OSU kept hammering back, but neither Nash nor Forte had gotten hot yet.  Going into the locker room, KU was up on the Cowboys 32-28.


Kansas came out strong in the 2nd half. Sophomore Wayne Selden Jr., who had been scoreless and quiet in the first half, was making up for it now. Dunks, free-throws and a cold-blooded 3, had KU up by 10 very early. If there was ever a game of fouls, this was it. All but one player on OSU's roster was playing with 2 or more fouls. All of KU's big men were looking at foul trouble. Where this game could have been blown away at the line by either side, neither team shot well. In the words of Charles Barkley it was "Turrible" just Turrible".

The energy level was at an all time high from what these two teams had gone through. Forte was nursing what looked like a cramp or strain, Cobbins was nursing a knee and Traylor looked gassed. Around the 6 minute mark, Self called for time. I haven't see guys as blessed to hear time called than my days of "sets" with Coach Anderson in High School. If tonights game would be won off endurance alone, KU looked to win that battle as well.

Courtesy: kusports.com

If this crowd wasn't already fired up enough, Sophomore Landen Lucas hammered one home getting this crowed rocking! Lucas would log 4 points on 12 minutes of play.

If OSU had any chances of getting back in this game, the time to start was now. Kansas had a 2nd wind come about them and started heating up the defense and OSU started missing shots.

I will hand it to the Cowboys, they never let up the entire game. Gassed or not and injuries or not, they never let up. Que the foul game. Judging by the entire night's foul shooting, KU needed to step it up here. Thankfully they did. Mason and Graham went 6/6 on the remaining foul shots. With 45 seconds left, Traylor poured one more gallon of salt in the wound with a last minute dunk, bringing down the house.

That was it for the Cowboys. The Jayhawks had defended their home court once again 67-57 going 14-2 on the season with 3-0 in league play. The Cowboys would drop to 12-4 and 2-2 in league play. These two teams will not meet again until February 7th in Stillwater. This will no doubt be another endurance challenge for the Jayhawks. Lets just hope that between now and February 7th, someone learns how to shoot free-throws.

The Jayhawks travel to Ames Iowa this Saturday the 17th to take on the Cyclones of Iowa State. Tip off at Hilton Coliseum is 8pm central and can be seen on ESPN. While not the first Big XII road game, this will be one of the most challenging for the Jayhawks yet.

!!!ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!! 

Jayhawks demolish the Red Raiders 86-54

10-6

#12 13-2

Shooting above 50% in all categories, makes a coach happy. Winning by 32 points, well that makes Jayhawk Nation happy. There are games and then there are beat downs. That is exactly what the Kansas Jayhawks did yesterday afternoon to the Red Raiders of Texas Tech.

Nothing compares to watching your team demolish a Big XII foe. Even better is seeing what the Defense does to shut their offense down. The Red Raiders were held to just over 29% from the Arc. Teams seem to have their best 3 point shooting games against the Jayhawks. So when the Defense shuts it down, it warms this writers heart! Not a single starter for Tech made it into double figures. The only double figure man for the day was Justin Jamison, and he came off the bench! Kansas forced 15 turnovers for the day. Kansas owned Tech on the boards as well 43-34 over all. Needless to say that "Ole Kansas D" is back baby!!!

Courtesy: kusports.com

Kansas got on the board first with Junior Perry Ellis hitting an early free-throw. "Dunk City" got started off with Freshman Kelly Oubre Jr. slamming one home. Nothing gets this crowd of 16,300 fired up more. For the next 4 minutes it was all Kansas. Tech couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat. Give credit to Kansas though as the drought was fueled by causing 4 turnovers and owning almost every rebound. Sophomore Wayne Selden Jr., Junior Jamari Traylor and Ellis were shooting lights out from the field. Everyone wearing white looked comfortable and relaxed. Crowd had quieted down until Traylor was fouled on a monster dunk earning him a trip to the line. Traylor hit his free-throw and just like that, the Jayhawks were up 14-5 on the Red Raiders.

Around the 13:52 make Freshman Cliff Alexander came in and got right to work. Alexander hit a quick jumper getting on the board. Just when you think the crowd couldn't get any louder, Alexander fired them up with an Alley-oop from Freshman Devonte' Graham. What's better than one crowd pleasing oop? how about another one less than a minute later on an assist from Selden. Tech had no answer for Alexander inside. Cliff was living up in the clouds.

Graham, returning from missing 6 games off a sprained toe, was slowly getting back into the swing of things. Graham had a slow first half, but would end up with 6 points and 6 assists off 19 minutes of play. Graham didn't look like he was at 100%, but he looked relaxed and confident. Graham back off the bench, gave Sophomore Frank Mason III a much needed break at the point.

Courtesy: kusports.com

At the 7:45 mark Freshman Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk checked in getting right to work. Mykhailiuk has been in a slump lately. Early in the season he looked well polished and in charge. Lately he's been ice cold. With both Mom Dad making the trip to Allen Fieldhouse from the Ukraine, Svi let loose with that gorgeous stroke of his, nailing a 3. That would be the only 3 for Mykhailiuk on the day, but he looks like his confidence is back.

The next 2 minutes belonged to Oubre. Oubre went on a run racking up 2 free-throws, an assist, 3 pointer and finishing it off with a huge dunk. Tech Head coach Tubby Smith had enough, calling for a time-out. By then the damage had been done. KU had the lead 38-17. Tech had no answer for anything. The Red Raiders went into the half down by 17 points. This crowd was livid!

Courtesy: kusports.com

Much like the first half, Kansas dominated the 2nd half as well, only it would be a 3pt-spectacle! Oubre wasted no time firing up the crowd with that left-handed stroke, nailing a 3 in the first 30 seconds. Ellis answered with another big 3, sending Tech into a complete state of confusion. Kansas needed a heat check! When a steal from Selden, resulted in Oubre bringing down the thunder-dunk, Tubby Smith had enough and called time. Kansas spent almost 3 minutes in pure flawlessness shutting Tech down on every angle. Ellis hit his 2nd 3 of the day causing a heatwave over the Phog. So when Selden followed less than a minute later with another 3, he burst into flames right on the spot. Twitter had a meltdown, The Fieldhouse collapsed and I still haven't found my dogs!

Alexander kept dunking, Greene kept hitting jumpers, Ellis kept hitting 3's and the entire bench was seeing minutes. Junior Hunter Mickelson earn 10 minutes of time as well. Everyone looked relaxed. The "meltdowns" were gone for now!

Tech could not get anything going. With just over 6 minutes left to play, the Red Raiders had only scored 14 points. No 3 point shots so far in the half. The Jayhawks defense had shut down everything Tech could toss up. Tech's only buckets came off KU mistakes in the paint. Kansas has some areas to improve on here, but made up for it on offense. Overall Kansas would go 11/22 from the Arc. This was one of the best 3pt shooting games this writer has seen in a long time. My Christmas wishes had been answered!

Courtesy: espn.com

I have followed Kansas Sports for over 30 years. I say this with absolute pride, no one loves their players they way they do at Kansas. The fans watch these young men grow up in front of them and become adults, almost like a cult following. That was backed up again when Redshirt Junior Christian Garrett scored his first career points in conference play. With just under 2 minutes left, Garrett drove the lane hard and laid it in. The way the crowd and bench reacted, one would have thought it was a game winning shot. This goes to show how proud each and every member of this team are of one another. Less than a minute later, the bench once again erupted when Junior Evan Manning buried a 3.

That would be it for the Jayhawks. Tech's Isaiah Manderson score once more bringing the game to an end. Kansas had won 86-54. Kansas showed again why they have won the conference 10 times in a row. Defense wins games and Tech was held to just over 29% shooting in the 2nd half. There is not a coach in the country that won't sleep well at night with those numbers.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys will be traveling to Lawrence this Tuesday January 13th. Tip off in Allen Fieldhouse is at 6pm and can be seen on ESPN2. OSU is coming off a huge win at home over the Texas Longhorns. Senior Le'Bryan Nash and Junior Phil Forte III dropped 20 points a piece on the Longhorns. This will be a true test of the Jayhawks defense.

!!!ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!

Kansas edges Baylor 56-55!!

#21

#12

Waco Texas isn't the most friendliest place to play a ball game. Especially when you're on the road for your conference opener. 2 years ago the The Baylor Bears handed the Kansas Jayhawks a 23 point beat down. That was not the case last night when the Jayhawks, off some late game heroics, narrowly edged the Bears 56-55.

In what is beginning to become a trend, the Jayhawks started off slow. KU lost the tip, but added the first points from Junior Perry Ellis. Ellis has been cold lately, but was showing signs of life fighting in the paint. That would be KU's only lead until the 19:10 mark in the 2nd half. Baylor Senior Kenny Chery tied it up and Baylor went lights out from there. Between Baylor Freshman Johnathan Motley and Chery, Baylor started to control the tempo of this game early. Chery couldn't miss behind the arc and Motley was controlling the paint. Fortunately that was the only thing going well for the Bears and what kept the score from getting out of hand.

Courtesy: kusports.com

Kansas never let up though. Kansas Junior Jamari Traylor was playing with that high intensity level we love so much. Traylor ended up with two fouls early in the 1st half, prompting Coach Bill Self to give Freshman Cliff Alexander and Sophomore Landen Lucas some minutes. Lucas pulled down 2 rebounds and added 2 points for the half. Sophomores Frank Mason III, Brannen Greene and Freshman Kelly Oubre Jr. each added to KU's numbers. The first half was played about as bad as one could imagine. Fortunately for Kansas, Baylor's last part of the 1st half was about as bad. In this writers opinion, the biggest highlight of the game so far was Baylor's Motley completely wiping Traylor from existence on a dunk with about 3 minutes left to play. Traylor was set and took every bit of the 6'9" 230 pound Motley head on. Every bit......I got to hand it to Traylor, I would have dove for cover screaming like a little girl! Traylor earned every bit of that charge. Unfortunately it was short lived as Mason was call for the same call the very next play on the opposite end. The 1st half came to an end with Baylor leading the Jayhawks 22-18.

Courtesy: kusports.com

The 2nd half got started off with quick bucket by Traylor. Again Traylor, off an assist by Oubre Jr, fought his way inside and earn that one. Traylor may not put up 25 a night, but one has to wonder where this team would be without the man....Traylor answered less than a minute later with another bucket in the paint and earning an old fashion 3pt play to regain the lead. Kansas turnovers and back-to-back 3's by Baylor Junior Lester Medford, gave Baylor the lead again. Self called for a timeout. This crowd had lit the Ferrell Center on fire. Traylor answered back with another hard fought bucket inside. More missed shots by KU had the Jayhawks in a bad drought. Going over 2 minutes without a bucket and Baylor's Chery hitting another 3, gave the Bears a 6 point lead with 15:56 left to play.

Courtesy: kusports.com

The Ferrell Center had gone mad. Mason was quick to silence the crowd with a big 3, causing Baylor Head Coach Scott Drew to call time, but a bad foul committed Green sent Medford to the line. Medford sunk both free throws giving Baylor a 3 point lead.

In the span of a minute and a half, KU had a bucket by Mason, steal by Traylor, a monster dunk by Alexander, block by Alexander and a layup by Traylor. The basketball Gods were awoken, twitter broke and the Jayhawks had turned it up!  KU had regained the lead again. Baylor's Rico Gathers hit the 2nd half of a pair of free throws tying it up again. Big Cliff would have none of that. Alexander answered with his 2nd dunk of the half giving the lead back to KU.

Baylor would not lay down. If KU wanted this win, they would have to earn it. Off 2 minutes of lights out shooting, Baylor would regain the lead and pull it to 5 with 9:49 left to play. A dunk by Ellis and a cold blooded 3 by Greene would tie it up once again. No matter the victor tonight, everyone in attendance got their monies worth tonight! Chery gave Baylor the lead once again off another 3. Chery would go 4-7 from the arc putting up 25 points on what would be the only Bear in double figures. Chery carried this entire team on his back tonight. Thankfully, this would be the last 3 on the night. Traylor was playing with 4 fouls. At the 5:18 mark, Chery drove the lane and caught a "love bump" off Traylor earning him is 5th foul and a final trip to the bench. KU's guard dog was done. Bucket was good and Chery hit his free throw giving Baylor another 2 point lead.

Courtesy: kusports.com

Mason tied the game again with a fast break bucket, only to be answered with a tip in from Gathers giving Baylor their last lead of the game. Selden who had been somewhat quiet the entire game, found that spark. Experience beats talent my friends and Selden showed that tonight. With just under 3 minutes left to play, Selden hit a jumper tying the game for the 8th and final time. Chery answered back bringing it within 1. Oubre went for a rebound with less that 10 seconds left causing the ball to get hit out of bounds. After a good 2 minutes of review, KU was awarded the ball with a 1 point lead. Greene was immediately fouled. I've said it before, free throws win games. Green has been lights out from the line year. Greene hit both buckets giving KU a 3 point lead.

With Chery getting the inbound and fearing the game would go into overtime, Self called for the foul. Cherry hit both, bringing the lead to just 1 point. With 3 seconds left, Mason missed the first of a one-and-one giving Baylor the ball off a defensive rebound by Taurean Prince. Baylor's last attempt was killed by the buzzer giving the Jayhawks the win! 56-55. The Jayhawks would once again have the sweet taste of a Conference Opener victory!

The Jayhawks are back at The Phog this Saturday the 10th to host the Red Raiders of Texas Tech. Tip off is at 2pm and can be seen on ESPNU.

!!!ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!