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Kansas wasn't blowing this one
After recent losses and miscues, Jayhawks throttle No. 8 Iowa State. A peek at what worked. Plus: Pitt's tourney hopes take a big hit, two awesome buzzer-beaters, the ACC loses another legendary coach, and we dive into the latest bracket projections.
Mike Miller
February 04, 2025
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Good morning! Still thinking about the crazy college hoops weekend, or even the NBA trades? Yeah, me too.
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1. Kansas delivers a resounding win on Big Monday
Poor focus and effort dogged Kansas in recent losses to Houston and Baylor.
Neither were an issue in Monday’s 69-52 win over No. 8 Iowa State. Not with the No. 16 Jayhawks playing like this.
going to be thinking about this one for awhile 🤯
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops)
2:56 AM • Feb 4, 2025
The Jayhawks (16-6, 7-4 in Big 12) moved the ball on offense (17 assists on 26 field goals) and were more physical on defense, something few teams manage against Iowa State. This 16-point halftime lead was never in danger.
It effectively buried any memory of Saturday’s blown lead against Baylor, and was the Kansas many expected when it opened the season atop the AP poll. It marked its second win vs. an AP top 10 team this season, and made them 26-5 at home vs. Top 25 teams under Bill Self.
“We really guarded them, and we got them into the last 10 seconds of the shot clock I think 10 of the 30 possessions of the first half,” Self said. “I still think we got another run. We’ve been so inconsistent. We just gotta bottle up the good.”
Zeke Mayo (17 points) and Hunter Dickinson (14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks) stood out, while Flory Bidunga had 4 points, 4 rebounds and 4 blocks in 15 minutes off the bench. (Did Self hear chants for Bidunga to play more? Yep. Will it adjust his rotation? No.)
Kansas held Iowa State to just .83 points per possession, its worst offensive game of the season. The Cyclones (17-5, 7-4) were just 30.6% from the field and had just 19 points at halftime.
The question now is if it’s a trend. Iowa State’s lost three straight games, and the last two by 19 and 17 points. Monday was so rough, Kansas traded spots with Iowa State on KenPom, jumping to 7 in NetRtg, while Iowa State dropped to 10th, its lowest spot since Nov. 11.
The Cyclones should get forward Milan Momcilovic back for Saturday home game against TCU, which would be an offensive boost. And the upcoming stretch vs. TCU, at UCF, vs. Cincinnati and Colorado also should help.
2. Did Virginia KO Pitt’s NCAA tourney hopes?
There’s a month left in the season. And Pitt’s going to spend all of it on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
