Jayhawk report: No. 3 Kansas 80, Texas Tech 79
Saturday’s box
No. 3 KANSAS 80, TECH 79
Kansas | Min | FG-A | FT-A | R | A | F | Pt |
Lucas | 30 | 5-7 | 3-6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 13 |
Graham | 37 | 2-8 | 0-0 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
Jackson | 40 | 12-15 | 5-7 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 31 |
Mason | 26 | 4-13 | 2-3 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 12 |
Mykhailiuk | 30 | 3-10 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
Vick | 25 | 2-4 | 2-3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
Bragg | 12 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Totals | 200 | 29-59 | 12-19 | 29 | 13 | 18 | 80 |
Percentages: FG .492, FT .632. 3-Point Goals: 10-25, .400 (Mykhailiuk 3-8, Jackson 2-4, Mason 2-4, Graham 2-6, Vick 1-3). Team Rebounds: 3. Team Turnovers: 9 (9 PTS). Blocked Shots: 2 (Bragg, Lucas). Turnovers: 9 (Bragg 3, Mason 2, Graham, Jackson, Mykhailiuk, Vick). Steals: 8 (Graham 2, Lucas 2, Mykhailiuk 2, Jackson, Mason). Technical Fouls: None.
Texas Tech | Min | FG-A | FT-A | R | A | F | Pt |
Gray | 36 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
Livingston | 24 | 0-4 | 0-0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Smith | 38 | 9-17 | 2-2 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 21 |
Evans | 35 | 8-12 | 5-5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 25 |
Stevenson | 33 | 8-17 | 5-7 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 22 |
Ross | 18 | 1-4 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
Thomas | 10 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Millinghaus | 5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Temple | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Totals | 200 | 29-60 | 15-21 | 36 | 10 | 17 | 79 |
Percentages: FG .483, FT .714. 3-Point Goals: 6-20, .300 (Evans 4-5, Smith 1-4, Stevenson 1-4, Ross 0-3, Livingston 0-4). Team Rebounds: 2. Team Turnovers: 10 (14 PTS). Blocked Shots: 1 (Smith). Turnovers: 10 (Gray 2, Millinghaus 2, Stevenson 2, Evans, Livingston, Ross, Smith). Steals: 4 (Gray 4). Technical Fouls: None.
Kansas | 42 | 38 | — | 80 |
Texas Tech | 35 | 44 | — | 79 |
A—13,806 (15,098).
Early seeding
Kansas was deemed the No. 2 overall seed in preliminary rankings released by the NCAA on Saturday. Villanova was selected as the overall No. 1 seed. KU was placed in the Midwest Region, Villanova the East, No. 3 overall seed Baylor in the South and Gonzaga was No. 1 in the West.
The NCAA followed the lead of the College Football Playoff be releasing its rankings early in an effort to drum up interest before Selection Sunday. The first in-season rankings by the NCAA are based upon games played through Friday and certainly could change; between the regular season and conference tournaments, there are more than 1,300 games still to be played before the final field of 68 is selected and seeded on March 12.
Redemption plays
Kansas’ victory on Saturday was more than a breakout performance for Josh Jackson.
There also was some redemption for a pair of KU veterans who had struggled with specific aspects in the past week.
Start with junior guard Devonté Graham. Seven days earlier, he threw the worst lob pass of his life against Iowa State, missing a wide-open Jackson when he threw a pass off the top of the backboard. The Cyclones took the steal, made a three, gained momentum, and eventually knocked off KU, 92-89, in overtime.
Fast forward to Saturday. With 2:10 left and KU trailing by two, KU coach Bill Self called the exact same play in one of the game’s biggest moments.
This lob was true, placed perfectly to the corner of the backboard as Jackson slammed it in.
“I just had to throw a better pass,” Graham said.
Center Landen Lucas also finished off a strong game offensively by helping Jackson break free on KU’s final possession. The senior stood his ground in the lane, setting a solid screen that knocked Texas Tech’s Justin Gray off his feet.
“I was set the whole time,” Lucas said, reiterating that it wasn’t an illegal screen. “He just ran into me.”
Lucas’ execution allowed Jackson a one-on-one opportunity against Zach Smith, and he attacked off the dribble to draw a foul. Jackson, who followed with the game-winning free throw, later called the screen the biggest play of the game.
It wasn’t the only time Lucas stepped up offensively. Following a tough week where he had frequently had the ball stripped out of his hands, Lucas made 5 of 7 shots, was effective clearing space in the lane and finished with both his left and right hand.
Jesse Newell
This story was originally published February 11, 2017 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Jayhawk report: No. 3 Kansas 80, Texas Tech 79."