Kansas basketball: Jayhawks survive Sunflower Showdown

The Kansas basketball team earned another tough Allen Fieldhouse win. The Jayhawks took round one of the 2018 Sunflower Showdown 73-72.

I expected the annual Sunflower Showdown might be close. As a matter of fact, the stats indicated that very possibility. In addition, the Kansas basketball team cannot seem to put teams away. I thought last season’s 2-point win, thanks to a Svi Mykhailiuk layup,  was tough to watch. This was one was very difficult until Malik Newman drove to the basket in the closing seconds.

Newman, coming off a 27-point performance on Tuesday, calmly hit the game winning free throws. Self put Newman back in the starting lineup Saturday. The red-shirt sophomore knocked down his first shot to pick up right where he left off against the ‘Clones. He only hit two more shots in the game but the 2 free throws at the end were the difference.

Lagerald Vick’s strong finish had a huge impact on the outcome. The junior guard had scored only 20-points in the past four games. He hit a pair of huge 3s in the final 4:23 and finished with 10 points and 6 big rebounds.

Udokah Azubuike scored the first basket of the Sunflower Showdown. Despite several turnovers, Dok had a fabulous game. He hit 8 of 9 shots, blocked 5 shots and hustled for 8 rebounds. His defense and ability to find the open shooter continues to improve every game.

The pregame hype over Silvio De Sousa was fun. The 6-foot-9 freshman looked nervous when Self put him in the game at 9:42 of the first half. He threw the ball away and picked up a foul in his four minutes of action. Despite that, he looked good in the middle of the Jayhawk lineup. He also had a nice visit with the ‘Cats Dean Wade. I’m not sure what De Sousa said but Wade didn’t seem pleased.

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Senior leaders Devonte Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk kept the Jayhawks in the game. Their tough defense and ability to hit big shots were huge factors. Svi’s big 3 at the half was a big confidence boost for the team.. Graham had foul trouble but scored 23 points and handed off 5 assists on a day the Jayhawks needed him most.