Kansas edges K-State with last-second shot

Svi Mykhailiuk, the hero of Tuesday night’s Kansas-Kansas State game, wasn’t about to say he may have taken as many as three steps on a driving layup that beat the buzzer and gave the Jayhawks a 90-88 victory over the rival Wildcats.

All KU’s junior guard from Ukraine knows is he was mighty happy after storming through the lane and completing a scoop shot that gave the Jayhawks their 10th straight victory over K-State at Allen Fieldhouse and 50th consecutive homecourt victory, which includes 47 at the fieldhouse and three at the Sprint Center.

“I don’t know. I really don’t know,” Mykhailiuk said, asked if he walked on the bucket that gave him 11 points for the game.

He did indicate he watched a replay of his basket on his phone right after the contest in the winner’s locker room.

What’d he think at that point, considering replays made it appear Mykhailiuk took several steps after picking up his dribble around the three-point arc?

“(That) it was a good basket,” Mykhailiuk said with a smile.

He was especially enthused to hit the game-winner with his dad and former club coach in attendance. They made the trip from Ukraine to see two games — Friday’s at TCU and Tuesday’s versus K-State.

“It feels great to hit the game winner in the fieldhouse before 16,000 fans. To win the game against K-State, it’s one of the great moments of my life,” Mykhailiuk said.

He said he almost committed a turnover in taking out the ball under K-State’s goal with 5.6 seconds left and the game tied at 88-88. The Jayhawks received possession after Dean Wade, who tied a career high with 20 points, missed a three and the ball went out of bounds off a K-State player.

“I almost stepped over the line,” Mykhailiuk said.

Once he was given the ball as he headed up court, “I was just trying to make a layup. It was an open lane,” Mykhailiuk said. “It was four seconds left. I went to the lane.”

KU coach Bill Self said after the game he hadn’t seen the replay.

“I don’t know if he walked or not,” Self said. “I know everybody says he did. I know some people said he did. He may have, I don’t know. It still was an athletic play to get all the way to the hole on two bounces.”

Self liked the play as it developed.

“I felt decent about it with an open court,” Self said. “Svi is a much better athlete than people give him credit for. He’s a good athlete. I don’t know who was coming up behind him, maybe (Wesley) Iwandu (who had 17 points). I thought he might get his hand in and deflect the ball. I think he (Svi) took off off two feet, which was smart.”

The Jayhawks certainly enjoyed the celebration after Mykhailiuk’s bucket.

“That celebrating is kind of dangerous,” said senior Landen Lucas, who scored 18 points with 12 boards. “I kept myself out of there. I’m glad nobody got hurt.”

Of the celebration, Mykhailiuk said: “I mean it was a great moment.”

Meanwhile, one subpar game apparently was enough for Kansas freshman guard Josh Jackson, who was coming off a four-point, 12-minute outing against TCU and tied a career high with 22 points. He hit for 16 points the first half. He also had nine rebounds and six assists with four turnovers.

Frank Mason chipped in 15 points for KU, and Devonte Graham had 13.

Barry Brown and Kamau Stokes had 13 points and D.J. Johnson scored 10 before fouling out at 1:02 for the Wildcats.

KU improved to 13-1 and 2-0 in the Big 12; KSU dropped to 12-2 and 1-1.

Jackson, who rammed home two vicious one-handed slams during a first-half in which he hit 7 of 8 shots, iced a three-pointer in an 18-4 KU run that turned a 32-28 deficit into a 46-36 lead with 2:11 left in the half.

Jackson’s shooting led a KU attack that accounted for 20 baskets in 32 tries in the first half (including 7 threes in 14 tries) for 62.5 percent. He also had a key bucket in the final half to bust a 75-75 tie with 8:11 left.

Kansas State, which sizzled with 53.6 percent shooting the first half, led by as many as nine points (24-15) the initial half. In fact, the Wildcats used a 16-4 run to erase an early 11-8 KU lead. Stokes had five points, while Iwundu, Austin Budke and Xavier Sneed had threes in the run.

Mason hit three three-pointers in that important 18-4 run for the Jayhawks. Also, Carlton Bragg, who scored five points in six first-half minutes, had a bucket and foul shot. Lucas grabbed seven rebounds and scored eight points the first half. He had a bucket in the 18-4 run.

K-State’s Brown had eight points, and Wade and Iwundu seven in the half.

Jackson, who had a technical foul against TCU, picked up another key ‘T’ versus K-State early in the second half. He was whistled after missing a shot, K-State’s Iwundu hit two free throws and then a three in a 7-0 KSU run that helped cut KU’s 12-point lead to 56-53 with 17:23 left.

KU will travel to Kansas State on Feb. 6 in an 8 p.m. tip at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Jayhawks will next meet Texas Tech at 6:15 p.m. Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas State will play Oklahoma at 2 p.m. Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 10:31 PM with the headline "Kansas edges K-State with last-second shot."