The Kansas basketball team was well-rested and had momentum heading into a weekend edition of the Sunflower Showdown. Head coach Bill Self had failed to take down K-State in Bramlage Coliseum since the championship-winning season in 2022, so the stakes were high for everyone.
While the Jayhawks had opportunities to get back into the game, a poor all-around effort led to another disheartening defeat. Kansas fell 81-73 to the Wildcats Saturday afternoon as the rollercoaster that is the 2024-25 continues.
Kansas basketball’s struggles on the road persist at K-State
In a high-stakes rivalry game, KU struggled to show the intensity the moment demanded. The lackluster effort was evident in the first half where they surrendered 44 points, setting the tone for a tough day. K-State handed the Jayhawks their seventh loss of the season, dropping them to 4-5 on the road.
It was a pitiful effort from the Jayhawks defensively. The team surrendered 11 total 3-pointers, including three from 25.0% outside shooter Dug McDaniel. Even in one of the better offensive performances of the season, the bad outweighed the good by a large margin.
Hunter Dickinson led the squad in scoring, pouring in 21 points and grabbing nine rebounds. His final numbers look fine, but he was exploited defensively all day long and inexplicably dropped multiple passes. KJ Adams had a strong 13-point first half, though he did not score in the final 20 minutes. Zeke Mayo played 35 minutes and scored 15 points, adding five assists.
Jerome Tang is now 3-0 at home in the Sunflower Showdown since taking over at the helm in Manhattan. On the other end, Kansas splits with its in-state rival for the third straight year. Next up, the Jayhawks have a home game against Colorado on Tuesday before traveling to the Beehive State to take on Big 12 foes Utah and BYU on the road.