Kansas State 84, No. 1 Kansas 68: See here.
Kansas head coach Bill Self said it best after the game last night: “Let’s just call it what it is. That was a beatdown. That was a beatdown. In my opinion, I thought they controlled the game from early on.”
And he’s right. Playing with their backs against the proverbial wall against their in-state rival at home, the Wildcats came out and finally played the way they are capable of playing.
Kansas, on the other hand, looked bad. Marcus and Markieff Morris combined for just 16 points and three boards. The Jayhawks as a team turned the ball over 18 times. They were beaten to loose balls all night long. Elijah Johnson got a technical foul for yelling in the face of a Kansas State player after dunking on him to cut the second half lead to 14 points.
“I’m leaving here not really recognizing the team that played tonight,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We’ve got to get some things straight.”
Its easy to get worked up over a loss like this, but I’m telling you Kansas fans, don’t.
Its as simple as this -- the Jayhawks didn’t show up ready to play. Fresh off earning the No. 1 ranking and three weeks removed from a 24 point thrashing of the Wildcats in the Phog, Kansas looked like they expected Kansas State to roll over and play dead. K-State didn’t, they jumped all over the Jayhawks from the tip, and the rest is a Sportscenter highlight.
The bigger concern, however, is that once again the Jayhawks were unimpressive on the defensive end. Maybe its because they were cruising to 20 point wins, but Kansas has been giving up far too many points far too easily of late.
I don’t like saying that a loss is a good loss. But maybe this was the smack in the mouth the Jayhawks needed.
No. 20 Syracuse 63, West Virginia 52: Brandon Triche scored 20 points and Kris Joseph added 16 as the Orange snapped a three-game losing streak at home in front of one of their smallest crowds of the season. Once again, the Orange struggled to defend the three point line, allowing the Mountaineers to knock down 11-22 from beyond the arc. They clamped down in the last eight minutes, however. The ‘Eers only managed one field goal -- Casey Mitchell’s seventh three pointer -- over that stretch, outscoring WVU 12-3.
Tennessee Tech 61, Tennessee State 59: Zac Swansey hit a jumper with three seconds left, his fourth game-winning shot of the season.
North Carolina A&T 74, Hampton 63: Jeremy Underwood had 16 points and Thomas Coleman added 14 points and 13 rebounds as the Aggies knocked off MEAC leading Hampton, who fell back into a tie with Bethune-Cookman and a 1/2 game up on Morgan State.
Jackson State 54, Prairie View 53: Jackson State overcame a five point deficit in the final 36 seconds to beat Prairie View, going on an 8-2 run to remain in striking distance of first place in the SWAC.
Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @ballinisahabit.