In one of the most tumultuous weeks of the past few years, the Kansas Jayhawks received flak from everyone around the college basketball universe. Back-to-back losses against Utah and BYU killed KU’s momentum and had fans calling for Bill Self’s job.
While the team has several issues that must be corrected, the Jayhawks played with a sense of urgency on Saturday against Oklahoma State. A strong first half gave them an early lead, and they never looked back. Kansas defeated the Cowboys 96-64 in one of the best wins in conference play.
Kansas dominates Oklahoma State amid Bill Self rumors
One day before the contest, a Tulsa World article revealed that Coach Self had spoken to OSU about its head coaching vacancy after last season. The Hall of Famer quickly addressed it in a press conference and shut down any rumors that he ever considered the position. He certainly did not show any mercy to his alma mater this time around.
The Jayhawks looked slow for the first few minutes of the game, only winning by four with nine minutes to go in the first half. However, they went on an unreal 29-4 stretch to give them a massive lead at halftime.
Six Dajuan Harris steals and five 3-pointers from David Coit emphasized how well KU performed as a team. They knocked down 14 threes, assisted 23 baskets, and forced 17 turnovers.
Hunter Dickinson led the way with 16 points, needing only 21 minutes to do so. Freshman phenom Flory Bidunga excelled during his minutes, grabbing an astounding 16 rebounds and showing off some nice moves in the post. Every rotational piece scored at least six points.
By no means was it a flawless performance, but the Jayhawks needed a win like this to boost their confidence. Following Monday’s road tilt at Colorado, Self and Co. will face three consecutive ranked opponents to close out the regular season. Momentum could be key heading into those matchups.