On Tuesday night in Boulder, Kansas faced off against a young Colorado team determined to pull off the upset. Through a back-and-forth first 35 minutes, the Jayhawks needed answers quickly without Bill Self on the sideline.
Alon Michaeli knocked down a huge three-pointer for the Buffaloes, which narrowed the Kansas lead down to one point with 5:50 remaining.
With all signs pointing to another road game KU was going to let slip away, Melvin Council Jr. took over, nearly single-handedly flipping the game in the Jayhawks’ favor during the final five minutes.
After a timely block by Bryson Tiller, Council Jr. made a layup on the other end, pushing the Kansas lead back to three with 5:07 left. He then immediately stole the ball on Colorado's inbounds play. Momentarily surprised by the turnover, he quickly drove down the lane and scored another tough layup, giving KU a two-possession cushion.
Both teams missed the next few shots before Council Jr. pushed the ball down the floor and scored another layup, extending the Jayhawks' lead to six with 3:11 remaining.
After a couple more Colorado misses, Darryn Peterson hit what nearly became the dagger, banking in a long three with 2:09 remaining to push the score and KU’s lead to 69–60.
After another scoreless minute for the Buffaloes, Council Jr. and Tre White each knocked down a pair of free throws, effectively ending the contest (despite Colorado scoring nine points in 33 seconds during the game’s final minute).
The Jayhawks ultimately won the game by a score of 75–69 and captured their first road win against Big 12 competition this season. KU now sits at 4–2 in the Big 12 and 14–5 overall, heading into Saturday’s Sunflower Showdown against K-State in Manhattan.
Like Tuesday night in Boulder, Saturday will undeniably be a big challenge despite the Wildcats’ rough season so far. Going 2–0 in the Big 12 in any week is impressive in itself, but doing so on the road speaks volumes.
The Jayhawks will aim to get the job done in a rivalry game, but the biggest question is: Will we see Bill Self back coaching on Saturday?
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