 when No. 2 Baylor lost to TCU to give them a one-game lead in the league.''That made us play a lot better,'' Kansas coach Bill Self said with a smile. ''It goes to show you that when teams are turned up and play with an edge, different things can happen.'' Azubuike finished with six points and nine rebounds while playing just 20 minutes after hurting his ankle in the opening minutes. David McCormack came off the bench to score nine points in his place, helping Kansas (26-3, 15-1) edge closer to clinching at least a share of another Big 12 championship.''You know, he came back and played, although he wasn't effective. He came back and played,'' Self said of his All-America candidate, who was coming off a big week in wins over Baylor and Oklahoma State. ''I imagine he'll be fine.'' Diarra scored 15 points and Xavier Sneed and Makol Mawien had 13 apiece for the Wildcats (9-20, 2-14), who were held scoreless for nearly 5 1/2 minutes late in the game. That allowed Kansas to score eight straight points and break open a 48-all game, then hang on for its 11th win in the last 12 meetings.''We were ready to play,'' Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. ''We competed.'' As for any lingering tempers from January, they evaporated when the teams met at mid-court after the National Anthem and shook hands. It was the final act in putting behind them their brawl, when several punches were thrown and Jayhawks big man Silvio De Sousa - who is still serving a suspension - nearly swung a stool at a Kansas State player.''Obviously the first one ended in a not-a-special moment. We wanted to make sure this one started with a positive moment,'' Weber said, ''and we can move forward now. Worry about the game and how it's played.'' The Jayhawks quickly ran out to a nine-point lead once the game tipped, but their momentum slowed when Azubuike hit the deck holding his right ankle with 16 minutes to go in the half. Team trainers spent a couple of minutes with the 7-footer before helping him to the locker room, and Kansas State took advantage of his absence to whittle into the lead.Azubuike returned with 9 minutes to go, but the Jayhawks couldn't shake the Wildcats and led just 35-34 at the break.They finally went ahead for the first time since the opening minute early in the second half, and Weber's crew even pushed the lead to four points on a couple occasions. But despite Azubuike still hobbling around, the Jayhawks drew back even a couple minutes later, and it was still 48-all when Dotson hit two foul shots with 6:54 to go.The Jayhawks, who at that point were 3 of 13 from beyond the arc, finally got a 3-pointer from Christian Braun to stretch the lead. Then, after Mike McGuirl missed a 3 at the other end, Dotson drove the lane as the shot clock wound down and got a leaning layup to go while getting fouled - he made it to stretch the lead to 56-48 at the final media timeout.The Wildcats finally put an end to the 8-0 run when Diarra got a layup to go with 2:30 left, but the Jayhawks kept coming up with answers down the stretch, allowing them to hang on for their ninth consecutive road win.''I didn't think either team played particularly well offensively,'' Self said. ''I thought both teams guarded. We did rebound the ball. Our first-shot defense was pretty good. That gave us a chance.'' BIG PICTUREKansas struggled the entire way with turnovers, and Marcus Garrett had a particularly rough afternoon. The starting guard had three of them and didn't make a field goal until his layup made it 60-52 with 1:20 left. But the Jayhawks showed their veteran poise when the game got close, and that should pay off when March Madness rolls around.Kansas State hung with the Jayhawks the entire way despite Diarra playing with four fouls down the stretch and a massive disadvantage on the boards. The Wildcats did it by capitalizing off turnovers and hitting timely 3s, even though they were similarly sloppy on offense and struggled at the foul line.UP NEXTKansas returns home for Senior Night on Wednesday against TCU.Kansas State visits Oklahoma State in its road finale Wednesday night.---More college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/-Top25)
Feb 27, 2020As heavyweight battles go, this one looks like a walk-over.In this corner, weighing in as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, the Kansas Jayhawks have won 13 straight games. They own a 198-94 all-time record against K-State, including 78-48 on the road. They've won 32 of the last 37 games in Manhattan against their rivals, including a remarkable 25-game win streak from 1983-2007.In the other corner, the Kansas State Wildcats currently sit in last place in the Big 12, two games worse than Oklahoma State, the team immediately above them. They have lost eight straight games, their longest losing streak since losing 11 straight in 1999-2000.No one would be surprised if the K-State corner comes ready to throw in the white towel when the two combatants step into the ring in Manhattan, Kan. to go toe-to-toe.While the boxing analogy might work in any rivalry game, it's especially appropriate because of the last matchup between the two teams.Kansas (25-3, 14-1 Big 12) defeated K-State 81-60 Jan. 21 in Lawrence in a game that is remembered almost exclusively for what happened at the conclusion of the game. With Kansas running out the clock, K-State's DaJuan Gordon stole the ball at half court from Silvio De Sousa and drove for a layup attempt. De Sousa took exception and emphatically swatted away Gordon's attempt.But when De Sousa finished the play by standing over and staring at Gordon, the K-State bench took exception. Both benches emptied, punches were thrown and the visual of De Sousa holding a folding chair over his head ready to throw it down on an opponent is one of the lasting images of the 2019-20 college basketball season. Four players--two for each team--were suspended multiple games as a result. De Sousa got the longest suspension--10 games--and he will miss this contest.Neither side was proud of the events of that evening, but hopefully it's in the past.Kansas seemed to use the altercation as a wake-up call. They avenged their lone conference loss last Saturday when they downed then-No. 1 Baylor on the road. The Jayhawks have two of the top players in the country in guard Devon Dotson (17.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game) and center Udoka Azubuike (13.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game). Azubuike had possibly the best game of his career when he recorded 23 points, 19 rebounds and three blocks.Kansas State (9-19, 2-13 Big 12) is limping toward the finish line of the season. The Cats will be completing the toughest week in program history, facing the No. 1- and 2-ranked teams in the same week for the first time ever. It's the first time in four seasons that has happened in college basketball.The Cats only have two players (Xavier Sneed, 14.0 points) and Cartier Diarra (13.1) averaging in double-figures. As a team, they're shooting 41.3 percent from the field, 293rd in Division I, and 31.9 percent from 3-point range, 253rd in Division I.But Self also knows the past--or the revenge factor for K-State--won't have an impact on Saturday's game."I expect (the atmosphere) will be great, just like it always is when we go over there," he said about KSU. "We'll talk about what they should be prepared for, but it's not like that's going to be our point of emphasis."Our point of emphasis will be to be poised, and how to guard their actions and take advantage of how they guard us." Weber is just hoping for a spark that only a rivalry game can produce, with the focus on team."We have to come with the right emotion," he said. "It has to be controlled emotion. It can't be, 'I'm going to shoot and go score 30.' It has to be, 'I'm going to guard the heck out of them and play my butt off and see if I can help K-State beat Kansas.'"--Field Level Media
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