Wilson's 26 not enough as Cyclones stifle Jayhawks for 68-53 win.
"Defense wins Championships". Sure, that phrase was first uttered for a completely different sport, but anyone that has watched a Bill Self team since he came to Kansas knows just how important that side of the ball is to him. But after Saturday's performance featured a team that couldn't seem to buy a shot, he might be willing to trade a bit of that defense for some extra offensive firepower to help out start Jalen Wilson.
The Kansas junior maintained his pace for making Kansas scoring history, as he scored 26 points on the day to improve his per game average to 21.3 points, best in the conference. But the rest of the starting lineup only scored 18 points, and the bench struggled all day long as Iowa State consistently held them at arm's length.
The Jayhawks took their only lead of the game on their first possession, as Jalen Wilson drilled a three in response to a Caleb Grill layup. But an 11-2 run over the next seven minutes set the tone early, as Kansas missed 8 shots and had 2 turnovers in one of the most inept shooting performances we've seen in a while. Jalen Wilson wasn't particularly efficient in the first half, shooting just 4-11, but the rest of the team was 4-13. Most of that production came in the middle of the first half, allowing Kansas to make a push to shrink the lead all the way down to just two. But the momentum didn't continue, and Iowa State went into the half up by 12.
The second half started out better, as Dajuan Harris knocked in a bucket, Wilson got back to scoring, and KJ Adams and Gradey Dick got back into the scoring. But they were only able to get back within 5 before the first media timeout, and the break was enough for the Cyclones to regroup. Kansas never challenged again, as the lead quickly ballooned to double digits and stayed there the rest of the game.
Wilson just missed out on a double-double, only tallying 9 rebounds to go with his 26 points. Dick and Adams both had 7 points, and Kevin McCullar had 11 rebounds. Off the bench, Joseph Yesufu had 8 points on 3-6 shooting, but he also struggled defensively.
Kansas has a quick turnaround, as the come home for a Big Monday tilt against the conference-leading Texas Longhorns. Tipoff is scheduled for 8pm CST.
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