Kansas Wears Down K-State, Sweeps Sunflower Showdown

It was wearying to listen to Brent Musburger and Bob Knight give a soporific call of the Kansas-Kansas State tussle for the Big 12 Tournament title. It might have been as tiring for Kansas State to endure the Jayhawks, who proved once again that they are the top team in college basketball.

Kansas won 72-64, securing its third win this season over an in-state rival that could be a darkhorse Final Four candidate. And the Jayhawks did it with defense and persistence, with depth and balance. They held the Wildcats to 34.8% shooting from the field, keeping both Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente under 50% on the night. They visited the charity stripe 31 times, sinking 24 free throws. They got baskets from eight players and double-digits in points from four -- Sherron Collins, Marcus Morris, Tyrel Reed, and Cole Aldrich.

This is a talented team, an experienced team, and a team that wins at home, on the road, and against rugged competition. That depth provides Kansas with the horses, both on the perimeter and inside, to wear down every team in America, and superb execution in the half court on both offense and defense insulates the Jayhawks against flurries of turnovers and threes.

Anything can happen in sports, and especially in college basketball in March. But the likeliest outcome for this season is Bill Self’s squad snipping strands of nets come April.

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