LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas’ men’s basketball team secured at least a share of its 16th Big 12 regular-season title in the last 18 seasons by defeating Texas, 70-63, in an overtime thriller at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday.
David McCormack scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds (he was 10 of 10 from the line) and Jalen Wilson added 17 points with 13 rebounds as the No. 6 Jayhawks (25-6, 14-4) claimed their 39th straight victory on Senior Day, a long stretch of victories in the regular-season finale that started during the 1983-84 season.
The KU victory came on a day senior Ochai Agbaji scored his first bucket (after 10 misses) of the day in overtime. He finished with eight points on 1-of-11 shooting (6 of 8 from line).
Courtney Ramey scored 18 points and Andrew Jones 12 for No. 21 Texas (21-10, 10-8), which was trying for its second consecutive regular-season sweep of KU. Texas, which took two from KU last season, defeated the Jayhawks, 79-76, on Feb. 7 in Austin, Texas.
KU was to find out soon enough if it was to share the 2021-22 league crown with Baylor or claim the crown outright. Baylor, which started the day 13-4, had a 5 p.m. tipoff versus Iowa State on Saturday in Waco, Texas.
“We said, ‘Big 12 champs in the summer.’ We said it in the fall. We try to remind the guys every day,” KU coach Bill Self said of the squad’s desire to win the league crown in his pregame radio interview. “Until we get to the end of the Big 12 it’s what we say every day. It’s etched in their minds every day since we walk on campus (in summer).”
The KU victory assured a happy Senior Day for Agbaji, McCormack, Mitch Lightfoot, Chris Teahan, Remy Martin and Jalen Coleman-Lands, who were introduced with family members before the game and were to give speeches after the contest.
Self went with an all-senior starting lineup of Agbaji, McCormack, Lightfoot, Teahan and Martin. Self said he chose Martin over senior Coleman-Lands after meeting with the two first-year KU players. Self said Martin told his coach Coleman-Lands should start; Coleman-Lands said Martin should start because KU needed a true point guard in the opening five.
So Self indeed went with a starting point guard.
The score was 2-2 when Coleman-Lands entered for Teahan at 17:49.
Coleman-Lands immediately hit a 3-pointer. It was 10-9 Texas when Self went with his normal starting lineup of Agbaji, McCormack, Christian Braun, Jalen Wilson and Dajuan Harris.
Texas built an early 15-9 lead at 11:55.
Wilson scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds the first half as KU led 35-33 at halftime. Agbaji scored two points on 0-of-6 shooting in the half. Ramey had 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting to lead the Longhorns the first half.
Braun hit two 3s in the final 2:27. His second gave KU a 35-31 lead at 1:09. He was called for a charge however and Ramey scored off Texas’ final possession of the half.
KU grabbed a 46-45 lead after Braun grabbed an offensive rebound, scored, was fouled and hit a free throw with 12:33 to play. Lightfoot hit 1 of 2 free throws to make it 47-45.
It was 51-47 KU after four straight points from McCormack at 7:25.
Up 51-49, KU scored four straight points and led by six. However Carr hit a 3 and Jones a 3 and it was 55-55 at 3:54.
A Jones free throw gave Texas a 56-55 lead, then McCormack hit a pair of free throws at 3:11 to give KU a one-point lead, 57-56.
Ramey tied it at 57-57 with 57 seconds left. Ramey missed a shot and Agbaji rebounded with KU calling timeout at 15.8 seconds. On KU’s ensuing possession Harris gave the inbounds pass to Agbaji who dribbled out front then called timeout after being unable to spring loose at 2.2 seconds.
KU’s Braun inbounded at 2.2 Agbaji had the ball batted away down low by Allen into the hands of Coleman-Lands, who successfully banked in a 3 after the clock hit zero.
So the game headed to OT.
McCormack hit his ninth and 10th free throws of the game in as many tries and KU led 63-61 with 1:54 left in OT. Wilson hit two free throws to give KU a four-point lead at 1:03. Allen answered with two free throws with 52 seconds. McCormack rammed home a dunk off a feed from Agbaji and KU led 67-63 with 40 seconds left.
Braun was fouled after a Texas miss and at with 22 seconds left missed the front end and hit the second. A Texas miss and KU rebound and two Agbaji free throws assured victory.
