No. 11 Kansas is preparing for a Big 12 rematch with UCF on Tuesday night, a situation they are familiar with.
The Jayhawks (14-5, 5-3 Big 12) are playing UCF (13-6, 4-4) for the second time this season after suffering an unexpected home loss.
Kansas went to Orlando, Florida, to face UCF earlier this month after losing by one point at home to West Virginia on New Year’s Eve.
This loss ended Kansas’ 33-game winning streak in conference openers, which dated back to the 1991-92 season, and created some urgency for the team.
Kansas responded by dominating UCF 99-48, marking the second-largest victory margin in school history. The Jayhawks recorded 30 assists on 42 made field goals.
This time, the turnaround will be even tougher for the Jayhawks, who will play for the third time in seven days. Injured senior forward KJ Adams has not played since January 15, and the team is still dealing with the disappointment of a 92-86 double-overtime home loss to No. 7 Houston on Saturday.
The game against Houston certainly met expectations, but Kansas knows it missed a chance at a valuable Quad 1 win.
They blew a six-point lead late in regulation and again in the first overtime, which put them three games behind the Cougars in the Big 12 standings. Kansas coach Bill Self expressed frustration about the team’s lack of execution in critical moments.
“We need to bounce back and show some toughness and all that stuff, and our guys will,” Self said. “They’re high-character guys, but obviously we’re crushed right now. That team (Houston) could win a national championship, and we actually controlled the game for the most part.”
Kansas seemed like they might win, thanks to the strong performance of Alabama transfer Rylan Griffen, who scored a season-high 17 points, hitting 5 of 6 three-pointers. Freshman Flory Bidunga had a career-high 19 points with seven rebounds, and Hunter Dickinson added 17 points and eight rebounds. Dajuan Harris Jr. had a career-high 12 assists.
However, Houston ended the game on a 19-7 run in the two overtime periods.
Kansas missed two free throws with less than 20 seconds left in the first overtime, which could have extended their 79-73 lead. Trailing 79-76, Houston stole an inbound pass in the frontcourt, and with no one in position to foul, Mylik Wilson hit a tying three-pointer with 4.3 seconds left.
UCF is coming off a dominant 85-58 victory over TCU on Saturday. This was their largest margin of victory this season, and more importantly, they allowed the fewest points since December 8, when they gave up 51 to Tarleton State. TCU shot just 1 of 20 from three-point range.
Keyshawn Hall, who scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds, said the Knights’ defense will be key to their success. Coach Johnny Dawkins’ team has allowed an average of 83.5 points in their first eight conference games, the worst in the 16-team league.
“We just gotta stay locked in on the defensive end,” Hall said. “If we stay locked in on the defensive end and get back to UCF basketball, like how coach Dawkins’ (teams) usually (played) throughout the years, then we’ll have a big chance because we can score better.”
