For the second time in as many home games, Kansas found itself down double-digits in the second half Tuesday night, trailing an unranked Oklahoma team that opened the season with a loss to Sam Houston State. For the second time in as many home games, Kansas still figured out a way to avoid being upset, this time by closing on a 18-4 run that lifted the Jayhawks to a 79-75 victory and pushed their record to 15-1 overall, 4-0 in the Big 12.
“We’ve been battle-tested so much this year, especially with close games, [and] we always find a way to stay composed,” said Kansas forward Jalen Wilson, who finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. “We just continued to play our ball. … There wasn’t a time when I thought the game was over because I know we’re always going to find a way to win.”
Sure seems that way.
The Jayhawks were down 15 points in the second half against Oklahoma State two Saturdays ago but still won 69-67. They were down 10 points with less than six minutes to play against Oklahoma late Tuesday but still won 79-75. On one hand, perhaps it’s concerning that KU has now been pushed twice at home by unranked teams in the past 11 days. But on the other hand, like Wilson noted, the Jayhawks stayed composed both times, rallied impressively and won to push Bill Self’s record to 301-16 inside Allen Fieldhouse, which is among the most astonishing records for any person working in any sport today.
Kansas remains No. 3 in Wednesday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Next up is a home game on Saturday against Iowa State. TJ Otzelberger’s Cyclones are 13th in the Top 25 And 1 and tied with Kansas and Kansas State atop the Big 12 standings.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
IN: Auburn
OUT: Wisconsin
