Kansas takes 1 vs. 2 showdown

The Kansas basketball program is back atop the Associated Press poll for the first time in almost five years, setting up a rare No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup on Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse.

“It was an unbelievable game, probably the best game I’ve ever been part of in the regular season”, said KU coach Bill Self.

Khadeem Lattin went to the line at the other end with two seconds left, but the 52-percent foul shooter clanked the front end of a one-and-one off the iron to force overtime. There’s always, it would appear, someone who is better than him at Kansas but he showed in this game why he is arguably the most underrated player in the country.

The Jayhawks have thrived with their experienced team led by a dual-point guard backcourt of Frank Mason III and Devonte Graham. He hit a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left to give Kansas the lead for good.

As the cheerleaders rushed the floor and the Jayhawks celebrated around him, Hield walked alone on the far side of the court as his teammates lined up after the 109-106 loss – the first triple overtime matchup between the nation’s top two teams since 1957, when Wilt Chamberlain played for the Jayhawks.

Buddy Hield scored 46 points in the losing effort for the Sooners.

When OU guard Jordan Woodard fouled out with 15 seconds left in the final overtime, he looked like he’d just run a marathon and fought a bear in the same span.

(6) North Carolina 106, Florida State 90:Brice Johnson had career highs of 39 points and 23 rebounds for the Tar Heels (14-2, 3-0 ACC) in a victory over the host Seminoles (10-4, 0-2).

But, then again, opposing players don’t generally single handily scorch the usually glove-tight Kansas defense for 46 points in a single game. Graham had 7 rebounds and 3 assists, but like Mason had 4 turnovers.

Perrantes hit 6 three-pointers in the second half and led Virginia with 22 points, but LeDay swatted his driving layup in the final seconds, preserving Virginia Tech’s slim margin.

Oklahoma hasn’t beaten Kansas on the road in over 20 years, a string of 13 games and the Jayhawks, while not quite as experienced, are just as good at putting the ball in the basket.

The Big Eight, the forerunner of the Big 12 which has Kansas and Oklahoma on Monday night, had two a month apart in 1990 when it was Oklahoma-Kansas and Missouri-Kansas.

“I can play an extra two or three overtimes right now”, Mason said, stone-faced and serious.

“Given what’s at stake and the stage and all, I don’t know that I’ve been in one better”, Sooners coach Lon Kruger said.

Graham hit a free throw with 16 seconds left in the third OT to tie it 106-106, then sank the second and KU was ahead to stay. And tied at the end of one overtime. Preseason favorites like North Carolina, Kentucky, and Duke have stumbled out of the gate a bit, and injuries have hurt teams hurt teams like Gonzaga and Michigan State. Too many wild offensive rebound attempts led to too many Oklahoma run outs though, and in general Kansas got killed on the glass when he was in.

Or from three-point range.

The 2003 National Championship Game, which featured a freshmen-heavy Syracuse vs. Kansas, has to be up there as well.