LAWRENCE โ Kansas State basketball's 2023-24 schedule had no shortage of challenging opponents, especially in non-conference play.
Before Big 12 Conference play began, the Jayhawks faced Kentucky (neutral), Marquette (neutral), Tennessee (neutral), UW (home), Missouri (home) and Indiana (away). . In those games, KU coach Bill Self's teams went 5-1 with his only loss coming against Marquette. And his UConn, one of the teams Kansas State beat, won the national championship.
It's been a long time since the Jayhawks defeated the Huskies 69-65 inside Allen Fieldhouse. That was back in early December, when Kansas looked like it could be a team that could do as well as UConn. But Self, who said his team beat the Huskies “as badly as you can,” certainly remembers that and had high praise for UW when speaking after the Jayhawks' team banquet on Thursday. .
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“Actually, I think that team should be recognized as one of the best teams. I thought Villanova in '18 was probably as good a team as we've ever played,” Self said in the Final Four. said of Kansas' opponent. 2018 NCAA Tournament. “But I think that team should be one of the three or four best teams of this century. I thought they were great. It shows you how good you can be when you play well. Ta.”
University guard Stephon Castle did not play in the game, but Kansas had strong defensive center Donovan Clingan and guard Cam Spencer. The Huskies' biggest boost on the day was guard Tristen Newton, who scored 31 points. After entering halftime with a seven-point lead, the Jayhawks had to hang on until the end as the visitors stormed for the win.
For Kansas, guard Kevin McCullough Jr., forward KJ Adams Jr. and center Hunter Dickinson all scored in double figures against UW. Jayhawks freshman guard Johnny Furphy also hit a few important threes. Few home games last season brought the same level of energy to the venue as this one in Lawrence.
Adams revealed Thursday that he actually attended the University Conn's victory in the national championship game against Purdue. He said he didn't expect to watch as emotionally as he did because he thought he or his teammates could have been in that position this season.
However, he added that he hopes to be able to participate again next year.
“They deserved it,” Adams said. His team was one of only three teams to beat the Huskies during the season. “They did pretty well in the tournament and got as far as they should have. But I hope they can do what they did next year.”
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics for the Topeka Capital Journal. He has been named the National Sports Media Association's 2022 Kansas Sportswriter of the Year. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or @JordanGuskey on Twitter.