Two weeks after falling in overtime during this season's first Sunflower Showdown, No. 8 Kansas secured revenge Tuesday with a 90-78 win over No. 7 Kansas State behind another huge night from Jalen Wilson. The Jayhawks' star forward reached the 20-point mark for a fifth straight game as he finished finished with 20 to lift KU (18-4, 6-3 Big 12) into a tie for second place in the league standings with the Wildcats (18-4, 6-3).
Wilson helped Kansas build its lead while defense helped the Jayhawks sustain it as they limited K-State to a season-worst 33.9% shooting from the floor. Star guards Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson combined for 45 points for Kansas State but made just 5 of 18 attempts from the floor in the second half. While Wilson stood out again, nine different players scored for Kansas with point guard Dajuan Harris tying his career-high with 18.
A win for Kansas State would have earned the Wildcats their first season sweep of the Jayhawks since the 1962-63 season and their first victory at Allen Fieldhouse since 2006. But Kansas continued to show that its stunning 83-60 home loss to TCU on Jan. 21 was only an aberration. That defeat was part of a three-game losing streak for Kansas which came to an end in a win at Kentucky on Saturday.
With back-to-back wins now over Kentucky and Kansas State, Kansas officially appears to be back on track as the reigning national champions build toward another postseason run.
Bracketology Implications
When Kansas State beat Kansas in the first meeting, it helped the Wildcats legitimize their resume. Shortly thereafter, they rose to a projected No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament in Jerry Palm's Bracketology. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks slipped off the projected No. 1 seed line amid their losing streak. But with Tuesday's win, the Jayhawks are returning to the projected No. seed 1 line and K-State is falling to the No. 2 line, according to Palm.
There are still several weeks before Selection Sunday, but the Jayhawks are 9-4 in Quad 1 games now while Kansas State is 5-3 in Quad 1 opportunities. The Wildcats are 3-3 over their last six games and host No. 10 Texas on Saturday.
Harris' big night
Entering the season, it appeared a larger offensive role could be in store for Harris, who averaged 5.4 points per game as a pass-first point guard during KU's national title run last season. But entering Tuesday's contest, Harris was averaging just 6.4 points in league games and looking hesitant to pursue baskets for himself. Over a four-game January stretch, Harris scored a total of five points on 2-of-18 shooting as the Jayhawks lost three of those four games.
Against Kentucky, however, Harris bounced out of his funk with eight points, including a pair of huge early 3-pointers to help the Jayhawks get back in the win column. He took it to another level against K-State, especially in the second half as the trio of Wilson, Gradey Dick and Kevin McCullar combined to shoot 3 of 14 from the field. The primary options struggling, Harris took it upon himself to help out and scored 12 in the second half alone.
Bench contributions
Kansas entered the game ranked 346th nationally in bench minutes, per kenpom.com. But the Jayhawks received substantive contributions from their reserves, even as backup center Zuby Ejiofor missed the game due to a foot injury. Bobby Pettiford, Joseph Yesufu, Zach Clemence and Ernest Udeh Jr. each logged between 10 and 15 minutes off the bench, and all of them hit shots from the field as KU outscored Kansas State's bench 19-9.
As the Jayhawks mount their title defense and plod through the grind of Big 12 play, receiving steady contributions from the bench will be a necessity. Tuesday's game marked a step in the right direction in that regard.