No. 9 Kansas ended its three-game losing streak in one of college basketball’s toughest venues when the Jayhawks took an early hit from Kentucky and the Wildcats went the rest of the way in a 77-68 win Saturday at Rupp Arena kept in check. Jalen Wilson led the Jayhawks with 22 points and Kansas dominated Kentucky on offense to end the Wildcats’ four-game winning streak and avenge last season’s 80-62 home loss to the Wildcats.
The game was the marquee showdown of the last SEC/Big 12 Challenge, and it delivered with both teams playing well offensively in a battle of the sport’s most successful programs of all time. Kentucky took an early 11-6 lead, but Kansas weathered the storm and never fell back past the 9:35 mark of the first half. With the win, KU avoided their first-ever four-game losing streak under 20th-year coach Bill Self.
Oscar Tshiebwe led Kansas with 18 points and nine rebounds, but the Jayhawks nullified his hold on the offensive glass by finishing with an 11-0 lead in second-chance points. Kentucky entered 5th in offensive rebounds per game with 14 per game, while Kansas was 145th in the same category with 10.7 per game.
With the Jayhawks relying on an undersized center in KJ Adams Jr. and the Wildcats having one of the game’s best rebounders in Tshiebwe, it seemed like Britain had an obvious advantage on the glass. Instead, it was Kansas that dominated in that regard while also claiming a crucial and much-needed victory.
This story will be updated