There are now only two undefeated schools remaining in college basketball after the number one ranked Kansas Jayhawks took down the Oklahoma Sooners in triple overtime, winning by a final score of 109-106 in front of a capacity Allen Fieldhouse.
Rollercoaster opening twenty minutes
The opening half was a half of runs. In the opening minutes of the first half, it looked as if Bill Self's squad was going to blow this game wide open as they have done so many times already this season, opening up an eleven point lead at one point. Everyone got involved on the offense side of the court for the home side as six different Jayhawks scored.
Oklahoma though, would come back slowly but surely. One key reason for this was the Sooners' ability to hit big three pointers as it looked like the home school swung momentum into their favor. Never was this more evident than in the final minute and 35 seconds of the first half. Buddy Hield started a string of three consecutive shots from deep, the other two scored by Jordan Woodard, as Oklahoma would eventually take a four point lead into the halftime interval.
No separation leads to multiple overtimes
During the beginning part of the second half, it was Lon Kruger's team who started to mount a lead over Kansas. They did this by clamping down on the defensive side of the ball, limiting the Jayhawks to only one shot each possession and hitting big shots down on their end of the court. Ryan Spangler was a big part of this reason as he hit two big shots from behind the three point line.
However, that lead, which never got bigger than eleven, started to get trimmed down. Jamari Taylor became a key man during this stretch of play. He worked hard on the defensive side of the ball, blocking a couple of shots, including one where he used both of his hands to smooth an attempt against the glass. Then he also made consecutive baskets right near the rim which cut the lead from 13 to nine.
As the overtime periods wore on, everyone became exhausted. The possessions became ugly and the Sooners began fouling more and in the end the contest came down to free throws. In the final of the three overtimes, Kansas made a staggering ten shots from the charity stripe while Oklahoma did not get to that area of the court once.
Buddy Hield, in a losing effort, led the Sooners once again in points, finishing with a career-high 46, going 12-19 from the field with eight of those coming from behind the three point line. The stats are very impressive, yes, but what he is able to do with his body while in mid-air, twisting and turning it to get around a would-be defender before scooping the basketball down through the middle of the hoop.
Kansas on the other hand, is an extremely deep and loaded squad. Multiple guys can hurt you from everywhere on the court and that showed. A total of ten different players scored at least one point; only Cheick Diallo did not find the bottom of the net after playing only a couple of minutes. With this combined contribution, Kansas went 40 of 94 from the field which is an astounding number considering the fact that their opponents tonight attempted six fewer shots.
Kansas will get a few days rest before they travel to Lubbock to face Texas Tech in their first conference road game of the season on Saturday. For Oklahoma, the Sooners return home for a clash with the Kansas State Wildcats and will look to rebuild a bit of confidence after a tough loss on the road.