sheesh
He suggests the gap between ku and K-State is growing. Check back on Feb. 19 and see what he has to say then.
What rivalry? Jayhawks humiliate K-State
By JASON KING
The Kansas City Star
LAWRENCE | So much for all the talk about how the gap between Kansas and Kansas State is closing.
Heck, if anything, it’s getting bigger.
That was certainly the feeling Wednesday, when the Jayhawks humiliated their Sunflower State “rival” with a 97-70 pounding at Allen Fieldhouse. Brandon Rush scored 18 points for ninth-ranked Kansas while Darnell Jackson had 13 points and 10 boards.
At 20-3 overall and 7-2 in conference play, ku now has sole possession of second place in the Big 12 standings behind Texas A&M, 8-1. Kansas State is now 17-7 and 6-3 after suffering its 33rd loss in its last 34 tries against the Jayhawks.
Wednesday, though, was supposed to be different. Or at least that’s what the Wildcats thought.
Kansas State entered the contest full of momentum thanks to a seven-game winning streak that included an impressive win against Texas on Saturday in Austin. Not only that, but this same group of Wildcats upset ku last season in Lawrence under former coach Jim Wooldridge.
None of that mattered Wednesday, when the Jayhawks force-fed Bob Huggins’ squad a hearty spoonful of reality from the opening tip to the final horn.
Kansas jumped out to a 15-2 lead and pestered K-State into missing six of its first seven shots. The Wildcats — thanks to some gutsy play from reserve guard Jermaine Maybank — fought back and pulled within five, 33-28.
But Kansas closed the half on a 14-5 scoring run that was highlighted by eight points from Rush, including six on a pair of three-pointers and two more on a couple of foul shots.
The Jayhawks committed two turnovers in the decisive first half and shot 51.5 percent from the field.
As for the second half … it never was even close, as ku opened with a 10-0 run and didn’t look back. The Wildcats didn’t make their first field goal until the 14:05 mark. Part of their problem was a lack of production from leading scorer Cartier Martin, who was pestered all evening by Rush.
Martin went scoreless in the opening half and had little effect, if any, on the game. Instead it was Maybank who made the most noise for the Wildcats. He entered the game averaging 2.6 points and finished with a career-high 26.
Five players scored in double figures for the Jayhawks, who began emptying their bench with 3:28 remaining. Darrell Arthur had 14 points and Darnell Jackson tallied 13. Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins each scored 11.
ku outrebounded the Wildcats 46-24. Julian Wright had a team-high 11 boards. Kansas State shot 39.1 percent from the field while the Jayhawks shot 55.9 percent.
As much as ku wanted to continue its dominance in the Sunflower State Showdown, getting a victory Wednesday was also huge for a ku team that was smarting after Saturday’s home loss against Texas A&M.
The setback could have a huge effect on ku’s chances at a third straight Big 12 title. At this point Kansas needs to win out and hope Texas A&M loses again to force a tie for first.
ku returns to the court Saturday for a game against an even bigger rival: Missouri. The Jayhawks and Tigers tip off at 2:30 p.m. in Columbia. Kansas State, meanwhile, should be favored in its next three games against Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa State. After that it’s a Feb. 19 rematch with Kansas in Manhattan.
