“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Dorthy!� At least, that must be what the Kansas Jayhawks and the Kansas State Wildcats are thinking. Nationally ranked number two Kansas lost tonight to number 24 Kansas State. That moved the Wildcats (5-0 Big 12) into first-place in the Big 12 and put the Jayhawks (5- 1 Big 12) in second by one-half game.
It was the first loss of the season for Kansas (20- 1). Kansas State is presently 15- 4 overall. It was certainly a strange twist of events for both teams. The final score was 84- 75 with the Jayhawks losing the game in the second half.
The difference in the game came down to three-pointers and number of shots taken. The Jayhawks shot 48.1% from the floor, while the Wildcats hit only 42.9%. But the Wildcats took 63 shots, while the Jayhawks managed 54. That meant that the Cats knocked down 27 of their tries, while the Hawks hit 26 (one less).
The same can be true for foul shooting. Kansas hit 85% of their charity stripe shots to Kansas State’s 75%. But it did not translate into any more points for the Hawks. In fact, they hot one less foul shot than their opponents.
From downtown, the Cats dominated—putting in .462 to their opponents .353. K.S. knocked in 18 more points from the three-point area than Kansas did. The hotshot was Michael Beasley who went 4- 4, knocking in 12 of his 25 points from beyond the line.
The other difference maker in this game had to do with each team’s top scorers. State’s top men three point makers were averaging 12.1 more PPG than their rivals. In tonight’s contest the Cats top guys put in 67, while the Hawks best were good for only 34.
It was the end of an era, as a home State team had not beaten a visiting Jayhawks club in 24 years! Ronald Reagan was president and Vanessa Williams had to give up her Miss America crown due to some “questionable� photos she’d posed for. Most of the students watching tonight’s game weren’t even born when the streak started!
Look for K.S. to move up and Kansas to dip a few notches in the next rankings. The results of tonight’s game means that there is only one undefeated team lest in the standings—the 19-0 Memphis Tigers. That means one cat just helped another.
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