LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas football head coach David Beaty added 40 years of coaching experience to his staff as he announced the hiring of the highly respected Bill Miller to his staff Monday. Miller, who is returning to his home state and beginning his second stint on the Kansas coaching staff, will coach the KU linebackers.

“Bill Miller is as highly regarded as they come in the coaching community,” said Beaty. “The amount of respect he commands from his players and the coaches he works alongside is tremendous. He is a leader in our field when it comes to developing players, and I am ecstatic to have him joining our program.”

With Miller coaching the linebackers, Beaty also announced that assistant coach Todd Bradford will now mentor the Jayhawk safeties, while assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Clint Bowen will now work with the cornerbacks. Kenny Perry will move into the special teams coordinator position and will also remain serving as KU’s recruiting coordinator.

Throughout his career, Miller has worked with some of the most successful and innovative collegiate coaches, including Nick Saban (Michigan State), Jimmy Johnson (Oklahoma State), Butch Davis (Miami) and most recently Jimbo Fisher. He was a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, which is presented annually to college football’s assistant coach of the year, while at Michigan State (2000) and Florida (2003). Miller has been on staff with six teams that have won conference championships and has coached in 14 bowl games.

Miller made his way back to KU after spending the previous four years at Florida State coaching linebackers. Under Miller’s guidance, Florida State’s linebackers were the leaders of the FSU defense and helped propel the Seminoles to three “New Year’s Six” bowl games.

In 2016, after losing leaders Reggie Northrup and Terrance Smith in the linebacker core, Miller’s group barely missed a beat. Florida State finished 22nd in total defense (349.1), 17th in third-down percentage (.339) and 22nd in tackles for loss per game (7.3) in the country.

Miller showed his ability to develop talent, as first-year starter Matthew Thomas led the team in tackles (77) including a standout game against No. 6 Michigan in the Orange Bowl, where Thomas set a career high in tackles (15) and TFL (3.5), leading Thomas to ESPN’s All Bowl-Team.

In 2015, senior linebackers Northrup and Smith both captured all-conference honors for the second-straight year to lead an FSU defense that ranked ninth in the country in scoring defense (17.8) and 19th in total defense (336.9). Northrup rebounded from an ACL injury to lead FSU in tackles (94) for a second-straight year en route to All-ACC second team honors, while Smith battled injuries, but still totaled 65 tackles in nine games on his way to All-ACC honorable mention honors.

In 2014, Smith (87 tackles) grabbed All-ACC second team honors and Northrup (122 stops) collected All-ACC third team accolades to lead the Seminoles to an ACC Championship and a berth in the first-ever College Football Playoff Semifinal. Northrup’s tackle total was the most by a Seminole since 2002.

Before his time in Tallahassee, Miller was at Minnesota for three years where he helped shape a defense that in 2013 allowed only 289 points, which was the first time that the Gophers allowed less than 300 points since 2004.

Miller had to replace two starters at linebacker in 2013 and did an admirable job with his corps as Damien Wilson was second on the team with 78 tackles. Miller’s linebackers also made big plays in 2013, as Aaron Hill scored two touchdowns and James Manuel scored one.

Prior to joining the Gophers, Miller coached the linebackers and served as the co-defensive coordinator during his first go-round at KU in 2009.

Miller coached the linebackers at Louisville in 2008 and had been promoted to defensive coordinator before accepting the position at Kansas. Miller was the defensive coordinator at Western Michigan in 2007.

He was the defensive coordinator at Arizona State from 2005-06 on Dirk Koetter’s staff and quickly turned around the Sun Devil defense. In one year, he took the Arizona State defense from last in the Pac-10 to second (behind USC) in total defense.

In 2003-04, Miller was the associate head coach and linebackers coach at Florida. He spent 1999-2002 at Michigan State as the Spartans’ defensive coordinator on coach Saban’s staff. While in East Lansing, Miller’s defense finished first in the Big Ten in total defense and the Spartans beat Florida in the 2000 Citrus Bowl.

From 1995-98, he ran the defense for Miami (Fla.) and won two Big East championships as a member of coach Butch Davis’ staff. From 1989-94, Miller was the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State.

Miller’s first experience at Minnesota was from 1986-88, when he served as the Gophers’ defensive backs coach on John Gutekunst’s staff. He helped lead Minnesota to a 20-17 win at Michigan as the Gophers handed the previously unbeaten and second-ranked Wolverines their first loss of the season.

He coordinated the defense at Nevada from 1983-85. His defense led the Big Sky in total defense twice as the Wolf Pack won two Big Sky championships during his tenure.

His first full-time job in collegiate coaching was in 1981, when he coached the secondary at Drake for two seasons. Miller got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Texas-Arlington in 1978 on Bud Elliott’s staff. He followed that with a stint as a graduate assistant for two seasons (1979-80) at Oklahoma State under Jimmy Johnson.

Miller, who also coached in the 1991 Blue-Gray Football Classic, is a graduate of Hutchinson (Kan.) High School. He played two years at Hutchinson Junior College in 1974-75 and then finished his collegiate career playing safety at Texas-Arlington in 1976-77.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has white-knuckled its way to the top of the Big 12.

It took hopping out of conference play to finally breeze to a comfortable win.

Svi Mykhailiuk poured in 24 points, Malik Newman added 15 and the fifth-ranked Jayhawks built a big lead on Texas A&M in the first half before sustaining it most of the way in a 79-68 victory Saturday.

Lagerald Vick added 10 points, and Udoka Azubuike had a couple of rim-rattling dunks, as the Jayhawks (17-4) — so accustomed to sweating out down-to-the-wire games this season — won their fourth straight in the Big 12/SEC Challenge and 10th in a row over the Aggies.

“Oh, we sweated,” Mykhailiuk said, smiling.

Just not a whole lot. The Jayhawks built a 45-27 halftime advantage, kept the gap nearly that wide in the second half and managed to breathe easy in the final minute for a change.

“It wasn’t as easy,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said, “as I would have hoped.”

Tyler Davis had 18 points and nine rebounds to lead Texas A&M (13-8), which began the season 11-1 with wins over Big 12 foes West Virginia and Oklahoma State. But after ascending to No. 5 in the AP poll, coach Billy Kennedy’s club has lost seven of its last nine in a calamitous freefall.

“I really think Kansas played as well as any team we’ve played all year, the way they shared the ball,” Kennedy said. “I think the Mykhailiuk kid, he made some special 3s, and giving up 10 3s in the first half was really hard to overcome against a good team.”

Robert Williams added 11 points, nine boards and four blocks for the Aggies, whose only win over Kansas in 22 tries came in 2007, before they bolted the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference.

The Jayhawks took control with a 10-0 run midway through the first half, stretching a 20-18 lead into a 30-18 advantage behind the kind of 3-point barrage that has become so common this season.

At one point, they had hit nine of their first 13 from beyond the arc.

Mykhailiuk had three in the first half, part of his 17 points in 17 minutes, as the Jayhawks shot 53 percent from the field and took a 45-27 lead into the break against one of the nation’s best defenses.

“It seemed like every back-breaking play, we’d get a bad bounce and they’d hit a 3,” Kennedy said. “Every bounce, every play, they made it, and that’s the mark of a good team.”

Kansas kept the pace hot in the second half, creating run-outs every time the Aggies missed a shot — and there were plenty of them. And even when they were forced to set up offense, the Jayhawks managed to get high percentage shots, including a rim-shaking dunk by Azubuike early on.

Azubuike had barreled through Davis before slamming it home, then straddled the Aggies’ big man as he dropped back to the floor. He gave him a mean mug, too, that earned him a technical foul.

The Aggies finally clawed within 72-62 on free throws by Davis with 4:40 to go, but Marcus Garrett scored on a driving layup and Azubuike added a baby hook to restore the Jayhawks’ advantage.

The Aggies never managed to get within single-digits down the stretch.

DOKE’S TECHNICAL

Self was not happy with Azubuike’s technical foul, which he called “selfish.” The play also took some of the fire out of the big guy, who had a big first half but was quiet in the second. Azubuike ended up with eight points, six boards and four blocks in 22 minutes.

BIG PICTURE

Texas A&M tried to establish its size in the paint, but the Jayhawks made up for their lack of size with scrappiness. The Aggies’ guards were outhustled to seemingly every loose ball, and that put too much pressure on Davis and Williams to make things happen in a game that hardly suited their style.

Kansas bounced back nicely from a late collapse at Oklahoma, showing a bit more moxie than the Jayhawks have in recent weeks. They had a 15-2 edge on fast-break points, and they hung with the bigger Aggies on the boards in a positive sign for a team that has struggled to rebound.

UP NEXT

Texas A&M plays Arkansas on Tuesday night.

Kansas visits Kansas State on Monday night.

— Associated Press —

NORMAN, Okla. – Kansas women’s basketball couldn’t stop Oklahoma’s hot-shooting night as the Jayhawks fell to the Sooners, 97-64, on Wednesday night inside Lloyd Noble Center.

Although Kansas (11-9, 2-7 Big 12) put together a strong offensive effort in the third period, Oklahoma’s (10-10, 5-4 Big 12) lead from the first half was too great for the Jayhawks to overcome in the final 20 minutes of the ballgame.

For the seventh time in the last nine games, junior guard Brianna Osorio notched a double-digit effort. The Las Vegas, Nevada led KU with 17 points and four rebounds. Junior forward Austin Richardson added 13 points to join Osorio in double figures.

All five of the Sooners’ starters notched double-digit scoring efforts on Wednesday night. Freshman guard Ana Llanusa led the way for OU with 18 points, while freshman guard Shaina Pellington and senior guard Gabbi Ortiz followed closely behind with 17 points apiece. Senior center Vionise Pierre-Louis added 13 points and five rebounds, while senior guard Maddie Manning rounded out the starting five with 11 points. Senior guard LaNesia Williams added 10 points off the bench for OU.

The Jayhawks matched the first two shots the Sooners put up to even the score at four early on in the first quarter. Oklahoma then went on a 12-0 sparked by five-straight points from Llanusa to give OU a 16-4 lead. Redshirt sophomore center Tyler Johnson split up OU’s two runs with a layup, but Manning knocked in five of Oklahoma’s next six points to keep the Sooners on top by 16.

Richardson and junior guard Kylee Kopatich each netted a 3-pointer in hopes of diminishing OU’s lead, but the Sooners finished the period on a 7-0 run capped by a 3-pointer from redshirt junior guard Gileysa Penzo at the buzzer, as OU took a 31-12 lead after the first quarter.

The Sooners opened the second quarter with seven-straight points, including back-to-back buckets from Penzo to extend their lead to 26 with just under eight minutes to go in the second period. Kansas continued to battle back, outscoring the Sooners 11-7 in a three-and-a-half-minute span, but the Jayhawks couldn’t dip out of the 20-point deficit and went into the locker room trailing, 52-26, at the half.

After a slow start to the second half, the Jayhawks settled into a groove midway through the third quarter, going on a 13-1 run completed by a Kopatich layup. KU’s run cut the Oklahoma lead by 10, however, the Sooners held on to a 74-48 lead going into the final period.

The Jayhawks couldn’t slow the Sooners’ offensive pace in the final 10 minutes and fell in the first meeting of the season against Oklahoma, 97-64.

UP NEXT
The Jayhawks return home to face in-state rival Kansas State in the Lawrence edition of the Sunflower Showdown on Sunday, Jan. 28 at 4 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse.

— KU Athletics —

NORMAN, Okla. — Trae Young vowed to make changes after his spectacular, yet inefficient game against Oklahoma State.

He wasn’t kidding.

Oklahoma’s fabulous freshman point guard had 26 points on just nine field goal attempts, and the 12th-ranked Sooners rallied to beat the fifth-ranked Jayhawks 85-80 on Tuesday night.

Young scored 48 points against Oklahoma State, but he took 39 shots and missed potential game-winning 3-pointers at the end of regulation and overtime in a loss . Before that, he turned the ball over 12 times in a loss to Kansas State.

“The way I played at OSU — I was overly aggressive at OSU,” Young said. “I think tonight, I managed the game a lot better. I got back to the way I was playing before last week and even before K-State. I managed the game a lot better and teammates did a great job of making plays, too.”

Kansas coach Bill Self was impressed with the way Young adjusted.

“Kid played great,” Self said. “I mean he got 26 points on nine shots. That’s very impressive for a guard, and he was very under control and seemed to make the vast majority of the right plays for his team.”

Christian James scored 15 points and Brady Manek added 14 for the Sooners (15-4, 5-3 Big 12), who won their 13th straight at home.

Svi Mykhailiuk scored 24 points and Malik Newman added 20 for Kansas (16-4, 6-2), which had won five straight.

Devonte’ Graham, Kansas’ leading scorer, finished with 11 points on 4-of-19 shooting.

“I just missed shots,” Graham said. “I told the guys in the locker room that you could put this one on me because I felt like I let the team down today. I had good open shots, but I was just missing them.”

Kansas led for most of the second half before Young made two critical, unselfish plays. James’ 3-pointer with 1:09 remaining on an assist from Young put the Sooners up 82-80. Manek later drained a 3-pointer, also on an assist from Young, to make it 85-80 with 25 seconds to play.

“It’s in Trae’s hands to make a read and decision and create,” Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. “We did that all night, really. He made a good play to find Christian and Christian jumped in there and knocked it down. Brady did the same thing on the next possession. Two big shots.”

Oklahoma effectively limited Kansas center Udoka Azubuike. The 7-footer scored nine points, all in the second half. He played with foul trouble and made just 1 of 7 free throws.

Oklahoma drew the second foul on Azubuike with 10:14 left in the first half and Kansas leading 19-13. The Sooners went on a 13-4 run in the next three minutes to take the lead.

The Sooners led 43-41 at halftime. Young took just four shots and had six assists before the break, and he didn’t attempt a 3-pointer. Newman led Kansas with 15 points in the half and Mykhailiuk added 11. Graham was held to 7 points on 2 for 9 shooting before the break.

Azubuike made three consecutive buckets during a stretch early in the second half to give Kansas a 55-47 lead.

Oklahoma chipped away and got within striking range. The Sooners intentionally fouled Azubuike, a 41-percent free-throw shooter coming in, several times. He missed all five of his free throws in the final 3:37 to help the Sooners get back into the game.

“It was definitely frustrating because we didn’t really get a chance to run anything,” Graham said. “But I guess it was pretty smart on them doing that.”

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: The Jayhawks were two games ahead of the rest of the Big 12 in the loss column and missed a chance to take control of the conference race.

Oklahoma: The Sooners needed a win after the two road losses to unranked opponents. They also helped the rest of the league stay within range of the Jayhawks.

STAT LINES

Young’s nine field-goal attempts were his fewest of the season. He had attempted at least 20 shots in each of his previous five games. He had five turnovers against the Jayhawks, down from 12 against Kansas State and seven against Oklahoma State last week. He also attempted just three 3-pointers after taking 20 against Oklahoma State and at least 10 in each of his previous five games.

COACHES VS. CANCER

Oklahoma’s coaches and staff wore Nike Metcon 3 sneakers to support Suits and Sneakers Week, a Coaches vs. Cancer initiative that benefits the American Cancer Society. The National Association of Basketball Coaches is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Coaches vs. Cancer.

ROAD RUN SNAPPED

Kansas had won 10 straight true road games dating to last season.

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts Texas A&M on Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Oklahoma travels to Alabama on Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

— Associated Press —

IRVING, Texas – Kansas redshirt sophomore Malik Newman has been named the co-Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, in a vote by a media panel which covers the league, the conference announced Monday.

Newman averaged 16.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in KU’s wins at No. 6 West Virginia, 71-66, and versus Baylor, 70-67. The Jackson, Mississippi, guard scored 12 of Kansas’ final 14 points in the comeback win against Baylor. For the game he hit 63.6 percent from the field (7-for-11) and all seven of his free throw attempts in the three-point victory.

Newman is averaging 11.3 points and 4.7 rebounds for Kansas this season. He’s scoring 12.9 points per game in Big 12 play and both his 20-point efforts this season have been against league foes. For the year, Newman has made 31 3-pointers this season.

Newman won the honor with Iowa State freshman forward Cameron Lard. This is the third Big 12 weekly honor for a Jayhawk this season. Freshman guard Marcus Garrett was named co-Big 12 Newcomer of the Week Nov. 13 and senior guard Devonte’ Graham was the conference player of the week on Dec. 4.

Kansas (16-3, 6-1) will look to extend its conference game road winning game streak to nine when it travels to Oklahoma (14-4, 4-3) on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 6 p.m.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas coach Bill Self has relied on a four-guard lineup all season, one that is designed to attack the basket aggressively, draw fouls and get to the free throw line.

He was fortunate one of those four guards stepped up Saturday night.

Malik Newman scored seven of his game-high 24 points in the final minutes, bailing out the rest of his sluggish teammates, and Baylor turned the ball over on the last inbounds play as the No. 10 Jayhawks escaped with a 70-67 victory that kept them atop the Big 12.

“We were lucky,” Self said, “to have one guy out there putting defense on its heels.”

The Jayhawks (16-3, 6-1 Big 12) trailed 67-61 with 2:05 to go before Newman went on his scoring binge, giving them the slimmest of leads again. The Bears (12-7, 2-5) had a couple of chances after that, but Manu Lecomte missed a 3-pointer and a layup attempt high off the glass with three seconds left.

Devonte Graham added a pair of free throws before Baylor squandered a chance at the final shot.

“(Newman) put us on his back and all we needed was to get those stops,” Graham said, “and we did.”

It was the Jayhawks’ 11th consecutive win over the Bears, who have never won in 16 tries in Lawrence. It was also the closest Baylor has come during any of those games.

Graham finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Udoka Azubuike had 14 points and seven boards, but he was just 4 of 11 from the foul line and missed two crucial ones late.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. had 14 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out for Baylor. Nuni Omot added 14 points and Lecomte had 10, though he was 3 of 12 from the floor and 1 of 8 from the 3-point arc.

“Very frustrating. We’re as good a team as them. We know we can beat them,” Lecomte said. “They’re a really good team. They never give up. Next time we have to make sure we keep that lead.”

Allen Fieldhouse has been Baylor coach Scott Drew’s personal house of horrors — the closest he had come to winning had been the Bears’ 73-68 loss last season. And when the Jayhawks opened the game by making their first seven shots and taking an 18-5 lead, it looked as if this one would be no different.

It took Drew burning through nearly all his timeouts to settle Baylor down.

Shots eventually stopped falling for Kansas as the Bears picked up their defensive pressure, and their deficit dwindled to 32-26 before a late flurry left them in a 38-27 halftime hole.

Kansas began the second half determined to get Azubuike the ball in the paint, and he made good on his first couple of chances. But when he failed to execute a few times in a row, Self greeted him during a timeout with, “Are you kidding me?” — spiced up with an extra word.

The Jayhawks still led 52-47 midway through the second half when Baylor went on a 16-4 run.

Omot started it with a bucket in the paint, but it was seven free throws by the senior forward that did the real damage. Lual-Acuil’s basket with 4:39 left gave Baylor a 61-56 advantage.

The Bears scored on nine consecutive possessions down the stretch.

Newman finally turned the momentum, though. He converted a three-point play and a nifty drive on a run-out, then knocked down another basket to give Kansas a 68-67 lead with a minute left.

“When the game is on the line, Coach always says that players make plays,” he said. “I was just trying to be aggressive and we came out with a win.”

HONORING JO JO

Kansas honored two-time All-American Jo Jo White with a video tribute before tipoff. The seven-time NBA All-Star, whose jersey hangs from the Allen Fieldhouse rafters, died Tuesday at the age of 71.

BYE, BYE BILLY

Kansas freshman Billy Preston signed with a pro team in Bosnia on Friday, ending any chance the five-star prospect will play for the Jayhawks. Preston had been held out all season while the school looked into the finances of the car he was driving during a November accident.

BIG PICTURE

Baylor has lost its last five games to the Jayhawks by a combined 20 points, no doubt adding to Drew’s frustration. Six of the Bears’ seven losses this season have come against ranked teams.

Kansas has won five straight to grab ahold of the Big 12 race, though none of them have been very comfortable. The Jayhawks’ winning streak has been by a combined 18 points.

UP NEXT

Baylor returns home to face Kansas State on Monday night.

Kansas visits fourth-ranked Oklahoma on Tuesday night.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Junior guard Brianna Osorio led all scorers in the second meeting of the season against Texas Tech, but it wasn’t enough as the Jayhawks fell to the Lady Raiders, 68-56, on Wednesday night inside Allen Fieldhouse.

Osorio netted 28 points to lead all scorers, her first 20-point game of the season. Her career-high night marked the best individual performance by a Jayhawk in a single game this season. The Las Vegas, Nevada native has registered five double-digit scoring efforts in Big 12 play.

Kansas (11-7, 2-5 Big 12) got off to a slow start after shooting just 10.7 percent from the field in the opening half. Although KU outscored the Lady Raiders in the second half, including 22 points from Osorio, Kansas’ first half offensive performance was too much to comeback from and Texas Tech (7-11, 1-6 Big 12) evened the 2018 series with the win.

Four Texas Tech players notched double-digit scoring efforts in the Lady Raiders’ first Big 12 win of the season. Senior center Jada Terry led TTU with 16 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore center Erin Degrate, freshman guard Lyndsey Whilby and senior forward Brielle Blaire each netted 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively.

After nearly seven minutes without a basket, redshirt-sophomore center Tyler Johnson ended Texas Tech’s 8-0 run with a layup. The Jayhawks still struggled to settle into a rhythm on offense, not scoring again until Osorio completed a three-point play the old-fashioned way with under 15 seconds to go in the first quarter. KU entered the second period trailing 12-5, after shooting just 14.3 percent from the field in the opening 10 minutes of the game.

Kansas was able to narrow the Texas Tech lead from 10 to three in the second quarter after Osorio and junior guard Christalah Lyons went on a 7-0 run, but TTU finished the half on a 10-0 run sparked by a Whiliby 3-pointer to go into the locker room with a 26-13 lead. Lyons finished the night with 13 points for her 16th double-figure scoring effort in 18 games thus far in the 2017-18 campaign.

The Jayhawk offense continued to struggle into the second half and the Lady Raiders took control of the game, leading by 20 on two separate times in the third period.
Osorio took control on the offensive end for the Jayhawks, scoring nine of KU’s 15 points in the third quarter. Kansas ended the period on a 6-0 run, capped off with a layup from junior guard Kylee Kopatich. The Jayhawks trailed 42-28 going into the final 10 minutes of the game.

Osorio continued her career night into the final quarter. Osorio knocked in 13 points for the Jayhawks in the final 10 minutes and helped Kansas to narrow Texas Tech’s lead. The 5-8 guard went on a 9-2 run by herself to put the Jayhawks within 11 with just over two minutes to play in the game.

The Lady Raiders relied on points from the charity stripe to complete the victory, with their final 11 points all occurring from the free throw line. Kopatich netted her first 3-point basket of the night at the 54-second mark putting Kansas within nine, but the Jayhawks couldn’t narrow the margin any further and fell to Texas Tech, 68-56.

UP NEXT
The Jayhawks hit the road for a two-game road trip. Kansas tips off with TCU on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 2 p.m.

— KU Athletics —

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Svi Mykhailiuk scored 17 points, including 12 over the final seven minutes, and No. 10 Kansas roared back from a big deficit to beat No. 6 West Virginia 71-66 on Monday night.

Devonte Graham added 16 points and Udoka Azubuike scored 10 for the Jayhawks (15-3, 5-1 Big 12).

Kansas has won four straight and broke a four-game losing streak in Morgantown to West Virginia (15-3, 4-2). The Mountaineers have lost two straight for the first time this season.

Sagaba Konate had 16 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots for West Virginia. But he didn’t score over the final seven minutes. Esa Ahmad added 15 points and Jevon Carter scored 14.

Kansas trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half before whittling away at the deficit by going to the rim. A 15-3 run gave the Jayhawks their first lead since early in the game, capped by two free throws by Mykhailiuk for a 61-60 lead with 3:49 left. He put the Jayhawks ahead to stay, 65-64, with two more free throws with 1:42 left.

“If we go down, we’re going to go down attacking,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

Daxter Miles scored off a missed free throw with a minute left to pull West Virginia within 67-66, but the Mountaineers didn’t score again.

“We don’t finish the job, that’s what disappoints me most,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: Mykhailiuk and Graham combined for 26 points in the second half. They scored 20 of the Jayhawks’ final 26 points.

“It was impressive watching them out there,” Self said. “They wanted it bad.”

West Virginia: The Mountaineers were determined to turn this one into a track meet, but it was West Virginia, not Kansas’ thin lineup, that appeared to wear down.

HUGGINS STYLE

Self, normally a suit-and-tie kind of guy, wore a pullover in the Jayhawks’ matchup at West Virginia — a present from Huggins.

COURT STORMING AFTERMATH

West Virginia forward Wes Harris started his 18th straight game after being reprimanded by the Big 12 earlier Monday for hitting a fan who joined thousands of others in storming the court Saturday in Lubbock, Texas, during a celebration of No. 8 Texas Tech’s 72-71 win over the Mountaineers. Harris scored four points on 1-of-4 shooting Monday.

UP NEXT

Kansas: Hosts Baylor on Saturday.

West Virginia: Hosts Texas on Saturday.

— Associated Press —