Jayhawks spank Sooners, Young
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Two of the Big 12’s most powerful offenses collided when No. 8 Kansas hosted Oklahoma. Only one lived up to the hype.
Devonte Graham had 23 points and 7 assists, Malik Newman added 20 points and Kansas beat Oklahoma 104-74 on Monday night in its first true blowout of the Big 12 season.
“It was a fun night, a good win,” Kansas Coach Bill Self said. “Certainly we needed a game where we could not sweat until the very, very end.”
The Jayhawks (22-6, 11-4 Big 12) controlled things early, jumping out to a 10-0 lead less than four minutes into the game and forcing Oklahoma Coach Lon Kruger to burn a timeout before the first media break. The Sooners (16-11, 6-9) never recovered.
“From the start, seemed like we were fighting uphill all night,” Kruger said. “Just hanging on to stay within range. Guys fought it pretty good for a while, obviously didn’t finish it like we want to or need to.”
Kameron McGusty led the way for Oklahoma with 22 points while Jamuni McNeace added 18 in his first career start.
It was a cold shooting night for Trae Young, who missed 10 of his 13 shots and had a career-low 11 points. He led the game with nine assists.
Six Jayhawks scored in double figures, and the team broke the 100-point threshold for the first time since December. It was an offensive performance unlike any other during their Big 12 season, fueled partially by the memory of their loss to the Sooners in Norman back in January.
“The only thing that was on our mind was just getting payback,” Newman said. “We went down there, and they stole one from us.”
The victory marks No. 300 all-time in Big 12 play for the Jayhawks. Only two other schools (Texas, Oklahoma) have surpassed the 200 mark.