IRVING, Texas – Kansas freshman Ochai Agbaji averaged 17.0 point and 8.5 rebounds in his first two career starts and has been named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week in a vote by a media panel which covers the league, the conference announced Monday.

Agbaji pulled his redshirt prior to the TCU game (1/9) and is coming off his first double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in Kansas’ 79-63 win over No. 16 Texas Tech (2/2). The Texas Tech performance came after his first-career start at Texas (1/29), where the Kansas City, Missouri, guard posted a career-high 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting with seven rebounds and two steals. In just eight games, Agbaji is averaging 22.5 minutes, 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and is shooting 54.3 percent from the floor.

Agbaji becomes the fourth different Jayhawk to be named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week this season, a feat already claimed seven times in 2018-19 for Kansas. Redshirt-junior forward Dedric Lawson has been the league newcomer of the week four times (12/3, 12/17, 1/14, 1/28), while Quentin Grimes was named on Nov. 12 and Devon Dotson on Dec. 31. Including KU’s five Big 12 Player of the Week honors this season, the Jayhawks have amassed 12 league weekly accolades in 2018-19, which is more than any other league team. The program record for Big 12 weekly awards is 13 earned during the 2016-17 campaign.

No. 11/12 Kansas (16-5, 5-3) hits the road for the Dillons Sunflower Showdown at Kansas State (16-5, 6-2), Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 8 p.m. (Central) on ESPN. Kansas State and Baylor currently hold a half-game lead in the Big 12 race with 6-2 league records. Kansas and Iowa State are tied for second at 6-3.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas coach Bill Self had been waiting most of this season for a moment to galvanize his team.

He may have gotten it during practice on Friday.

First, the Jayhawks lost starting guard Marcus Garrett to a sprained ankle, robbing them of their defensive stopper. Then, they learned that sophomore forward Silvio De Sousa would be ineligible for this season and next after the NCAA determined his guardian had accepted impermissible benefits.

With everything going against them, the No. 11 Jayhawks responded Saturday by throwing haymakers from the opening bell in their showdown with No. 16 Texas Tech. Dedric Lawson piled up 25 points and 10 rebounds, Devon Dotson added 20 points and Kansas cruised to a 79-63 victory over the Red Raiders.

“There comes a point in every season when a team becomes a team,” Self said, “and we’ve been given an opportunity — and maybe fortunately so — that we’ve dealt with some crap, and you can become a team off that, and I hope today is a step toward it.”

Lagerald Vick added 13 points and Ochai Agbaji had 10 for the Jayhawks (17-5, 6-3 Big 12), who came into the showdown of Big 12 title contenders having lost two straight and three of four.

Yet suddenly and unexpectedly, they looked every bit the program that has won 14 straight crowns.

The Jayhawks roared to a 20-point halftime lead against the Red Raiders (17-5, 5-4), the league’s dominant defensive team, then weathered a shaky start to the second half before pulling away again.

It left a stark change in mood in Lawrence from 24 hours earlier.

“You’d have to be an idiot not to understand what we were walking into,” Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said. “Their backs were against the wall. This is how good Coach Self is. There’s too much pride in that locker room. And for whatever reason, we didn’t hear that message.”

Davide Moretti led the Red Raiders with 14 points, but nobody really got on track. Leading scorer Jarrett Culver was held to 10 points on 5-for-17 shooting, the Red Raiders were 6 of 28 from beyond the arc and they continually gave up easy opportunities on the fast break.

“We really came together. That’s what I think our statement was,” Agbaji said. “We had a lot of pressure coming into this game. We didn’t have a really good week, so we had a lot of pressure.”

Lawson got the Jayhawks off to a hot start, draining an early 3-pointer on his way to 16 points and seven boards by the break. Vick also got into the act, knocking down a trio of first-half 3s and at one point gesturing to the Texas Tech bench to bring it on.

The Red Raiders never really did.

Only three times in the first half did Texas Tech score on consecutive trips down the floor, and a team that relies on defense to dictate tempo could not contain the Jayhawks at the other end.

By the time Lawson buried two more 3s, the Jayhawks had a 46-26 lead headed into halftime.

To put its offensive efficiency into perspective, Texas Tech had been holding opponents to an average of 56.8 points. Four times the Red Raiders have allowed 46 points or fewer.

Texas Tech began to pound the paint with Norense Odiase in the second half, but misfires from the foul line prevented the Red Raiders from trimming their deficit. And when they managed to get within 15 points, the Jayhawks would answer with a driving layup or crucial putback.

Or they’d make a key defensive stop a la their opponents.

The lead swelled to 25 down the stretch, and Self was able to empty his bench with a couple of minutes remaining against a team that topped Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse last season.

“Victory favors the team that was more aggressive,” Beard said. “They were more aggressive than us the whole game, every possession, offense and defense.”

MORE ON GARRETT

Kansas announced 30 minutes before tipoff that the sophomore guard would not play, and he’s almost certain to miss Tuesday’s trip to Kansas State. Garrett has become the Jayhawks’ defensive stopper along with averaging 7.2 points and 3.6 assists this season.

NCAA APPEAL

Kansas athletic director Jeff Long said before the game the school will appeal the NCAA’s punishment of De Sousa. At issue is the NCAA’s finding that his guardian, Fenny Falmagne, received a $2,500 payment from a booster or agent but without De Sousa’s knowledge. “If the NCAA is trying to send a message or make a statement through unwarranted punishment,” Long said, “they are doing it through the wrong avenue and with the wrong man.”

UP NEXT

Texas Tech returns home to face West Virginia on Monday night.

Kansas visits the Wildcats for the Sunflower Showdown on Tuesday night.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The NCAA declared Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa ineligible for the rest of this season and next season late Friday, dealing a significant blow to a team that began the season with national title hopes.

De Sousa’s name surfaced last summer in an FBI probe into corruption in college basketball centered on officials linked to apparel company Adidas. The NCAA found that De Sousa’s guardian, Fenny Falmagne, had received a $2,500 payment from a “university booster and agent” and agreed to an additional $20,000 payment from the same individual and an Adidas employee for securing his commitment to Kansas.

The school, which has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the case, indicated in a statement late Friday that it would appeal the ruling. Falmagne has denied receiving any payments.

De Sousa hasn’t played for the No. 11 Jayhawks this season. Kansas had withheld the 6-foot-9 sophomore from competition, pending the results of the investigation.

“We are shocked and incensed by today’s decision,” Kansas athletic director Jeff Long said. “This was clearly an unfair and punitive ruling for a young man who had no knowledge of any NCAA violation, nor did Silvio personally benefit from the violation. While we will continue to work with the NCAA on the broader matter, we have an obligation and a desire to advocate for our student-athletes.”

Kansas’ argument hinges on the fact that any payments made to Falmagne were done without the player’s knowledge, and that De Sousa should have been given leniency in any punishments.

In its ruling, though, the NCAA made it clear that ignorance is no defense.

“When a prospective student-athlete allows a third party to involve himself in the recruitment process, the prospective student-athlete is then responsible for the actions of that person,” the NCAA said, “regardless of whether the prospective student-athlete had knowledge or if benefits were received.

“Membership guidelines state the starting point for these violations is permanent ineligibility, but the NCAA staff recognized mitigation based on the specific circumstances of this case.”

The slow pace of the NCAA investigation has worn on Kansas coach Bill Self, who has been left in limbo in trying to piece together his lineup for the remainder of the season.

“In my 30-plus years of coaching college basketball, I have never witnessed such a mean-spirited and vindictive punishment against a young man who did nothing wrong,” Self said. “To take away his opportunity to play college basketball is shameful and a failure of the NCAA.”

De Sousa’s attorney, Scott Tompsett, had pushed for immediate reinstatement last month, saying that his client had cooperated with the investigation and shouldn’t be punished for the actions of adults.

“He did everything he was supposed to do and was asked to do to become an eligible student-athlete at the University of Kansas,” Tompsett said. “Silvio followed the rules. He did nothing wrong.”

The Jayhawks (16-5, 5-3 Big 12) could have sorely used De Sousa’s help. They lost star center Udoka Azubuike to season-ending wrist surgery a couple weeks ago, and they have lost three of four heading into an important showdown with No. 16 Texas Tech on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.

The FBI’s two-year probe into college basketball already has produced numerous guilty verdicts.

In the first batch last October, former Adidas executive James Gatto, Adidas consultant Merl Code and former NBA runner Christian Dawkins were convicted of felony wire fraud and conspiracy. Former Arizona assistant Book Richardson, former USC assistant Tony Bland and former Oklahoma State assistant Lamont Evans also have pleaded guilty to various federal charges.

Former Auburn assistant Chuck person and former NBA referee Rashan Michel go to trial in June.

De Sousa’s name came up during the FBI probe when AAU coach T.J. Gassnola, a former Adidas consultant, testified that he facilitated payments to Falmagne in an attempt to steer the prospect to Kansas.

Gassnola insisted that Self and the Jayhawks’ staff did not know about the payments, though, and the Hall of Fame coach forcefully maintained De Sousa’s innocence Friday night.

“Silvio is a tremendous young man who absolutely deserves to be on the court with his teammates in a Jayhawk uniform,” Self said. “This process took way too long to address these issues.”

— Associated Press —

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Dylan Osetkowksi scored 16 points and Texas used stifling defense to snap a 10-game losing streak to No. 11 Kansas with a 73-63 win Tuesday night.

Jase Febres made three 3-pointers late in the second half as Texas fought off a late rally that saw the Jayhawks get within three points. Texas hadn’t beaten the Jayhawks since 2014.

Texas held Kansas’ leading scorer Dedric Lawson without a point in the first half, and the Jayhawks to their fewest points in a half this season. Just three days earlier, the Longhorns gave up 98 in a loss to Georgia in Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Back in the Big 12, Texas (12-9, 4-4) got a much-needed win that also knocked the Jayhawks (16-5, 5-3) out of first place. Kansas, which has won at least a share of the Big 12 title the last 14 years, has lost three of its last four and this week fell out of the Top 10 for the first time this season.

Ochai Agbaji led Kansas with 24 points.

Osetkowski, who had said Texas was at a “crossroads” after the Georgia loss, was a physical presence under the basket that Kansas couldn’t match as he bullied his way to the basket for layups and rebounds or kicked out cross-court passes for 3-pointers.

Kansas cut the lead to 48-45 before Febres made two 3-pointers two minutes apart for the cushion Texas needed. Febres made another with 1:22 left that put Texas up 63-56.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: Kansas looked befuddled early by Texas’ aggressive defense, which harassed the guards on the perimeter and denied the Jayhawks on just about every chance at getting close to the basket. Kansas’ 23 points in the first half was a season low, and the Jayhawks looked like they could get blown out until an 11-1 run late in the period. Kansas never cleaned up sloppy ball-handling that led to 13 turnovers, several of them coming in the second half.

Texas: Freshman forward Jaxson Hayes set the defensive tone with two blocks in the first two minutes and a soaring, two-handed dunk on the other end. Hayes leads the Big 12 in blocks and ranked first nationally among freshmen with 2.65 per game coming in. That sort of defensive effort could carry Texas a long way through the second half of the Big 12 schedule.

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts No. 16 Texas Tech on Saturday.

Texas plays at No. 20 Iowa State on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

IRVING, Texas – Kansas redshirt-junior Dedric Lawson’s back-to-back double-doubles against nationally-ranked opponents have earned him co-Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors in a vote by a media panel which covers the league, the conference announced Monday. This is the fourth conference newcomer of the week for Lawson and his seventh weekly award by the league in 2018-19.

Lawson opened the week scoring 29 points and tying a season high with 15 rebounds in KU’s 80-76 win against No. 24 Iowa State. The Memphis, Tennessee, forward was 13-for-17 (76.5 percent) from the field, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range, in the victory. At No. 8 Kentucky, Lawson posted 20 points and 15 rebounds in the 71-63 loss to the Wildcats. For the week, Lawson was 20-for-35 (57.1 percent), including 4-for-5 from 3-point range. Lawson earned the honor with Baylor’s Makai Mason.

A Wooden Award Midseason finalist and Sporting News Midseason All-America First Team selection, Lawson has six double-doubles in his last seven games and a Big 12-leading 14 for the season, which is tied for second nationally. He has scored 20 or more points in his last two games and 11 times this season. He is second in the Big 12 in scoring at 19.5 ppg and leads the league in rebounding at 11.1 rpg, which is eighth nationally. He is the only player in the league averaging a double-double. A three-time Big 12 Player of the Week (11/12, 11/26, 12/26) and four-time league newcomer of the week (12/3, 12/17, 1/14, 1/28), Lawson leads KU with 22 blocked shots and his 1.1 blocks per game are eighth in the conference.

Kansas (16-4, 5-2) plays at Texas (11-9, 3-4) on Tuesday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m.

— KU Athletics —

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — PJ Washington and No. 8 Kentucky hit the glass hard against No. 9 Kansas.

It worked.

Washington scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half, and the Wildcats beat the Jayhawks 71-63 on Saturday in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.

Washington, Reid Travis and Keldon Johnson powered Kentucky to a 49-36 rebounding advantage. Washington grabbed 13 boards, Travis had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Johnson also posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

“I just came out aggressive, and that just shows on the glass,” Washington said after his fifth double-double this season. “I just tried to look for my shot, look for my teammates, just be aggressive.”

Neither team reached 40 percent shooting, but the Wildcats (16-3) were much better in the second half and held the Jayhawks (16-4) in check down the stretch of the marquee matchup between college basketball’s two winningest programs.

Kentucky dropped its three previous games against Kansas and trailed 33-30 at the break, but Johnson made three 3-pointers to help fuel the Wildcats’ big second half.

“I knew my teammates would give me the right shots,” said Johnson, who was 5 of 9 from the field. “I’ve worked very hard on my game, and I had confidence to come out and hit the big shots when I needed to.”

Kentucky earned its sixth consecutive win, with the last three coming against Top 25 teams.

Dedric Lawson had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Jayhawks, and Quentin Grimes added 13 points. It was Lawson’s 14th double-double this season.

Kansas shot 37 percent (23 for 63) from the field in its second loss in three games.

“They didn’t really pressure us, but they didn’t have to,” coach Bill Self said. “And then when we do get in there, you’ve got to score over a lot of length and big guys. We didn’t do as good a job as we should have.”

PERIMETER RECOVERY

Kentucky missed each of its eight 3-point attempts in the first half, and then went 4 for 10 from long range in the second half.

“That was the difference in the game,” coach John Calipari said. “If we go 0 for 10 in the second half, we lose the game. This is a good 3-point shooting team. That’s why I get bothered at times.”

SOLID HAGANS

Kentucky guard Ashton Hagans scored 12 points on 4-for-11 shooting, but once again made his biggest impact as a defensive force and facilitator. He had eight assists and three steals.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Kentucky could rise in the AP poll after beating its third ranked opponent in a week. Kansas could tumble out of the top 10 with its recent trouble.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: Lawson had a double-double by halftime, and the Jayhawks held their own on the glass for one half. They finished 9 of 23 from behind the arc but couldn’t match Kentucky’s athleticism in the second half.

“We wanted to win, but it’s not the end of the world,” Lawson said. “They went to the glass pretty hard, but our guys competed.”

Kentucky: The Wildcats still have their share of challenges ahead when Southeastern Conference play resumes next week, but they are coming along. Travis got off to a nice start, and his teammates picked up their play in the second half.

UP NEXT

Kansas returns to Big 12 play on Tuesday at Texas, seeking a season sweep of the Longhorns. The Jayhawks won the previous meeting 80-78 on Jan. 14.

Kentucky returns to SEC competition at Vanderbilt on Tuesday after beating the Commodores 56-47 two weeks ago.

— Associated Press —

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Kansas coach Bill Self left his postgame news conference, saw West Virginia’s Bob Huggins down a hallway and stopped for a handshake.

“Go win the rest of them,” Self said.

Wishful thinking, perhaps. But Huggins will gladly take this one over his friend in what has become a forgettable season.

Jermaine Haley hurried up the court and hit a layup with 8.5 seconds left, completing a late rally that lifted the Mountaineers over the No. 7 Jayhawks 65-64 on Saturday.

The Mountaineers (9-9, 1-5 Big 12) scored the final seven points to break a five-game losing streak.

West Virginia has fallen on hard times since being ranked No. 13 in the AP preseason poll. But three defensive stops down the stretch made a difference against the Jayhawks and gave the Mountaineers a reason to think there’s time this season to turn things around.

“It’s just a matter of being mentally tough enough to do the right things,” Huggins said. “I’m just happy to win. This isn’t where we thought we’d be.”

Haley, a junior college transfer, hit all five of his field goal tries and tied a season high with 13 points despite playing with a bandage on his injured left wrist. Huggins said he has implored Haley to drive to the basket.

“I know everybody has been waiting on me to attack and get a little bit more aggressive,” Haley said. “The more minutes I play, the more comfortable I get. I’m very aware of my game and what I can do, so I think this is just another stepping stone as far as the season is going.”

Dedric Lawson and Marcus Garrett made layups 29 seconds apart to give the Jayhawks (15-3, 4-2) their largest lead at 64-58 with 2:34 left. But Kansas didn’t score again.

Wesley Harris responded with a 3-pointer for West Virginia, and Derek Culver’s layup cut the deficit to 64-63 with 1:26 remaining. Culver then grabbed a rebound but threw the ball straight to Garrett with 54 seconds left.

West Virginia got another chance after Lagerald Vick’s airball. Haley rushed, drove past Quentin Grimes and made the go-ahead layup.

Self said he should have called timeout after Haley’s basket. His intention, with Kansas in a double bonus and down one point, was to drive to the basket and either score or force a foul.

Instead, Vick missed a 3-point try from the corner as time ran out, and West Virginia fans stormed the court after the Mountaineers’ fifth win over the Jayhawks in their past six meetings in Morgantown.

“You can’t get this one back,” Self said. “We’ll be OK.”

James “Beetle” Bolden added 12 points despite playing with an illness and Culver scored 12 for West Virginia.

Lawson and Garrett had 15 points apiece for Kansas, which had won three in a row. Vick scored 13.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: The Jayhawks committed 18 turnovers, including 13 in the first half, and missed several chances to put West Virginia away down the stretch. The Jayhawks got just four points from their bench.

West Virginia: It marked a good start to West Virginia’s toughest stretch of the season with four ranked opponents over six games. The Mountaineers also play at No. 3 Tennessee in the SEC/Big 12 challenge on Jan. 26, host No. 20 Oklahoma on Feb. 2 and play at No. 8 Texas Tech on Feb. 4.

HUGGINS BONUS

Huggins earned an extra $25,000 for beating Kansas — a contract bonus that he donates to cancer research in the name of his late mother.

BIG ATMOSPHERE

A little over a year ago, West Virginia was ranked No. 2. Saturday marked the first taste of a raucous home atmosphere for several new players, including Culver.

“That right there, I enjoy that,” he said “Me, being a freshman and a deer in headlights when it comes to things like that, that was fun. I’m not going to lie — that was fun.”

UP NEXT

Kansas hosts Iowa State on Monday night before traveling to Kentucky next Saturday for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

West Virginia hosts Baylor on Monday night.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Chloe Jackson scored a season-high 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting and had eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals to lead No. 2 Baylor to a 94-68 win over Kansas on Wednesday night.

Kalani Brown added 15 points, DiDi Richards 14 and Lauren Cox and NaLyssa Smith had 13 apiece for the Bears (14-1, 4-0 Big 12). With Texas losing at Kansas State, Baylor took over sole possession of first place in the Big 12.

Baylor was 13 of 16 from the field in the first quarter, racing to a 29-15 lead, and was 9 of 13 in the second to make it 53-36 at the half. With Jackson, Richards and Smith combining to go 15 for 15 from the field for 32 points, the Bears set a record for the most points at the half of a conference game. Richards scored 10 of the first 15 points on five backdoor layups.

Kansas kept it relatively close through three quarters by going 13 of 22 from 3-point range but the Jayhawks (11-4, 1-3) cooled off to go 1 of 6 in the fourth quarter. The last 3 was a school-record 14th, which doubled their season average.

Jessica Washington tied a school record with six 3-pointers for 18 points and Kylee Kopatich had five for 17, combining to go 11 of 16 from distance for Kansas.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lagerald Vick scored 21 points, Marcus Garrett added a career-high 20, and No. 7 Kansas held on to beat Texas 80-78 on Monday night when Jase Febres’ 3-pointer at the buzzer never came close.

Dedric Lawson added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Jayhawks (15-2, 4-1 Big 12), who blew a 10-point second-half lead before escaping with their 10th straight win over the Longhorns.

The game was tied at 73 when Lawson made a pair of foul shots. Texas big man Dylan Osetkowski was forced into a jump ball at the other end to give Kansas possession again, and Vick knocked down a 3 from the wing with 1:31 left in the game to give the Jayhawks a cushion.

The teams swapped empty possessions and Texas (10-7, 2-3) was forced to foul Lawson, who missed the second of two free throws. The Longhorns pulled down the rebound and Courtney Ramey buried a 3-pointer to get them within 79-78 with 8.9 seconds left in the game.

They quickly fouled Garrett, a 64-percent foul shooter, and he made the second of two free throws to give the Longhorns a chance. But after racing the ball up floor, they settled for a contested 3 from Febres that clanked harmlessly off the side of the rim.

Matt Coleman II had 16 point to lead five Texas players in double-figures scoring. Kerwin Roach II added 13, Febres had 12 and Osetkowski finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Longhorns led 40-38 at halftime, but how the teams got there was wildly different.

Kansas played the first 20 minutes without committing a single turnover, got the ball in transition but struggled at the foul line, where the Jayhawks were just 2 of 7 in the half.

Texas knocked down eight 3-pointers and dominated on the glass.

But it was the Jayhawks who heated up beyond the arc to open the second half, knocking down four in the opening minutes to retake the lead. Vick curled in a pair, one off a nifty feed in front of his bench, and Kansas eventually stretched its lead to 57-45 with 11 1/2 minutes to play.

Febres made it interesting in the closing minutes.

The Jayhawks still led 71-64 when the Longhorns’ sophomore sharpshooter knocked down a 3-pointer. He added another after a jump ball at the other end, then hit a third in succession to answer Lawson’s bucket and pull Texas into a 73-all tie with 2:16 remaining in the game.

Kansas had opportunities to put the game away with free throws, but Lawson and Garrett missed key attempts down the stretch, and the Jayhawks finished just 11 of 21 from the line.

BIG PICTURE

Texas lost for the first time in seven games when it hit at least 10 3-pointers, going 13 of 34 from beyond the arc. The Longhorns also had an advantage on the glass, but they were unable to make defensive stops when they needed to in the closing minutes.

Kansas only committed four turnovers in the game, and an 11-of-22 clip from beyond the arc helped to mitigate the Longhorns’ long-range shooting. Freshman forward Ochai Agbaji, who had his redshirt removed a week ago, continued to contribute with four points in 25 minutes.

UP NEXT

Texas returns home to face Oklahoma on Saturday night.

Kansas visits West Virginia on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

WACO, Texas (AP) — Lagerald Vick scored 18 points with six 3-pointers on his 22nd birthday and No. 7 Kansas held on for a 73-68 win at Baylor on Saturday.

Vick hit two of his 3s in an 11-3 run in the final 1:44 of the first half for the Jayhawks (14-2, 3-1 Big 12) to put them up by 10. Kansas then held a double-digit lead for most of the second half until the Bears had eight consecutive points in the final minute.

Jared Butler hit a 3 with 54 seconds left and Mark Vital made a basket before Devonte Bandoo’s 3 after Vick’s second turnover in that span got the Bears within 72-68. The Jayhawks missed three free throws down the stretch.

Dedric Lawson added 17 points for Kansas while Devon Dotson had 14. Freshman Ochai Agbaji had 10 in his second game.

Butler had 14 points to lead Baylor (9-6, 1-2), while Vital and Bandoo each had 11. Makai Mason scored 10.

Baylor opened the game’s scoring with two free throws but missed its first 15 shots from the field, falling behind 18-2 before going on a big run of its own. Butler had three 3s in an 18-4 run by the Bears that got them within 22-20 on a free throw by Mason with just under 4 minutes left, though they never got closer.

Vital had Baylor’s first made field goal of the game on a short bank shot with 9:34 left in the first half after he grabbed an offensive rebound.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: The Jayhawks played their second game since 7-foot center Udoka Azubuike’s season-ending wrist surgery. That’s what led to Agabaji, the 6-5 freshman guard from Kansas City, forgoing his redshirt eligibility. He had a 3 in the late spurt to end the first half.

Baylor: The Bears just couldn’t build on the momentum of their home win Tuesday against No. 20 Iowa State, which then was coming off a 17-point home win over the Jayhawks last weekend. Baylor missed an opportunity to win consecutive games over Kansas, which lost by 16 in Waco last February.

CLARK DONE

Baylor sophomore forward Tristan Clark, the national leader shooting 74 percent from the field, had season-ending left knee surgery this week. The 6-foot-9 sophomore averaged 14.6 points starting the first 14 games. He made 84 of his 114 shots, and was on pace for the fourth-best shooting season in NCAA history. He now won’t play in enough games to qualify for that.

UP NEXT

Kansas plays its third game in six nights when the Jayhawks go home to play Texas on Monday night.

After consecutive home games, Baylor has a quick turnaround before playing Monday night at Oklahoma State.

— Associated Press —