Kansas, Oklahoma poised for possible 1-2 matchup in Lawrence

With some late defensive stops.

Kansas took the lead and iced the game with four clutch free throws down the stretch – first from Devonte’ Graham, then from Frank Mason III.

The victory, the 25th in a row at home for Kansas in Big 12 play, was the first for the Jayhawks in five all-time matchups involving teams rated No. 1 and No. 2. It was the most viewed college hoops game on WatchESPN in both unique visitors (295,000) and total minutes viewed (11.6 million).

Kansas was up for the task though as in the three overtime game they put up 109 points in front of a rockin’ crowd at Allen Fieldhouse and did it with multiple guys.

West Virginia (13-1, 2-0 Big 12) came out on top because its guards scored all but two of the team’s 50 points after halftime.

“I wish I had one more overtime”, Hield said.

“I wish I had one more overtime”, said Hield, who hit eight 3s and finished 13 of 23 from the field.

Hield turned the ball over with 8.6 seconds left in the third OT.

The good news for KU was that Lattin is the Sooners’ worst foul shooter among the starters, hitting only 54 percent of his free throws. With no rooting interest in the game, I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how Oklahoma could continue to get Hield the ball despite being face guarded by Frank Mason. I know he missed that free throw at the end of regulation, but he finished the night with 10 points, 14 boards, six blocks and a pair of assists in 39 minutes. “(At the end), I thought they were going to foul me, so I hoisted a shot”. “I hate losing. No matter how I do, I keep thinking I could have played better”.

A limited number of returned tickets for the WVU game will go on sale at 10 a.m. on game day at SoonerSports.com. It was the flawless game at the ideal time for college basketball. On Saturday, they dominated Baylor 102-74, and on Monday they completed a memorable home stand by outlasting the Sooners in an all-time Big 12 classic game.

As for the performance by Hield, Kruger said: “He just kept grinding, and that was in the face of a KU team that plays very good defensively”.

The Jayhawks, who blew an 11-point first-half lead and overcame a 10-point second-half deficit, had so many big plays in the thriller. When KU needed their senior leader the most, Ellis stepped up with late baskets to tie the game at 75 and give KU a 77-75 lead with 43 seconds remaining. Khadeem Lattin had a career-high 14 rebounds and matched a career high with six blocks. Those rankings depended on which poll you were looking at yesterday as the USA Today Coaches Poll and BCSNN / USBWA Polls had the Sooners as the top-ranked team.

Ellis had 27 points and 13 rebounds for the Jayhawks (13-1, 2-0 Big 12), who had chances to win in regulation and the first two overtimes.

Referee Kelly Self, right, calls a technical foul on Kansas head coach Bill Self, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Oklahoma in Lawrence, Kan., Monday, Jan. 4, 2016. The Ken Pom ratings have Kansas as the top ranked team.

It will be the 40th time the top two teams in the poll have faced each other.