Kansas: 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl Champions

 

PHOENIX – The Kansas Jayhawks defeated the UNLV Rebels, 49-36, in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl inside Chase Field in Phoenix Arizona on Tuesday night, highlighted by six touchdown passes from Jason Bean and three touchdown receptions apiece by Lawrence Arnold and Luke Grimm.

Bean tied the Kansas football record with six touchdown passes and this was the first time two players have had three touchdown receptions in the same game in school history. Bean was named the Guaranteed Rate Bowl offensive MVP, while Kenny Logan Jr. was named defensive MVP.

The Kansas win gives the Jayhawks its first bowl victory since 2008, while the Jayhawks finish the season at 9-4, Kansas’ first 9-win season since 2007. The victory makes Kansas 7-7 in all-time bowl appearances.

UNLV scored first on their first possession, marching down the field on an eight-play, 65-yard drive, which was capped off by a 3-yard rushing touchdown by running back Vincent Davis. 

The Jayhawks evened the score while still in the first quarter on a six-yard passing touchdown from Bean to Grimm. The touchdown came on the heels of a 98-yard drive, which was Kansas’ longest scoring drive since 2019. 

KU got possession at its own 30-yard line with 5:03 to play in the half and drove 70 yards in nine plays, including a 44-yard reception from Bean to Quintin Skinner which moved the ball down to the UNLV one-yard line. On the next play, Devin Neal plunged into the end zone, making it 28-7, before UNLV knocked in a 40-yard field goal attempt to cut down KU’s lead to 28-10 heading into the half.

Following the halftime break, UNLV stopped Kansas on its first drive and moved to an 11-point deficit at 28-17 with 12:15 remaining in the third quarter on a 5-yard pass from Maiava to Shelton Zeon III. UNLV would add another passing touchdown on a 37-yard strike to make the score 28-24 with 10:30 left in the third quarter.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Kansas struck back on a 40-yard throw from Bean to Arnold, which put Kansas back up 11 with 14:52 to play. The 40-yard touchdown reception capped off a 99-yard drive, Kansas’ second drive of 98 or more yards in the game to put the Jayhawks up 35-24.

After the long drive by the Jayhawks, UNLV responded with a seven-play, 88-yard yard drive to bring the score to 35-30. The Rebels failed to convert on the 2-point conversion.

With two receiving touchdowns already between the duo, Bean found Arnold a third time on a 56 yard screen play to put Kansas up further, 42-30 with 11:10 remaining in the game. The three touchdown receptions tied the Kansas bowl record for receiving touchdowns in a game, tying Dezmon Briscoe’s three receiving touchdowns set in the 2008 Insight Bowl vs. Minnesota. 

On the ensuing UNLV possession, Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant recorded his fourth interception of the season on a pass by UNLV’s Jayden Maiava. Kansas would take advantage of the Bryant interception, as Grimm scored his second touchdown of the day on a 60-yard touchdown pass from Bean to put Kansas up, 14-7 with 11:37 remaining in the first half.

UNLV missed a 52-yard field goal on their next possession, setting the Jayhawks up with good field position for a five-play touchdown drive that covered 66 yards and was capped with a 15-yard touchdown strike from Bean to Arnold. At that point, Kansas led 21-7 with 7:57 to play in the half. 

On the first play of UNLV’s next drive, Maiava was picked off again, this time with KU linebacker Craig Young hauling in his second career interception. The Jayhawks gave the ball right back, however, two plays later as Bean was picked off in the end zone. Kansas then held the Rebels to a three and out on the next drive, setting the stage for another scoring drive. 

Grimm added another touchdown reception to his tally on a 43-yard strike from Bean in the fourth quarter to extend KU’s lead to 49-30. This was the first time in Kansas football history that two players recorded three touchdown receptions each. 

UNLV answered with a long touchdown of its own, completing a 50-yard touchdown reception before failing a two-point conversion. Kansas maintained a 13-point, 49-36 advantage with 6:25 left in the game. 

Kansas entered victory formation as it claimed its first bowl victory since 2008 with its 49-36 win over UNLV.

Kansas: 2021-22 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Champions

Kansas pulled off the biggest comeback in men’s national championship game history to beat North Carolina, 72-69, and win the 2022 NCAA tournament.

The Jayhawks were down by 15 at halftime and trailed at 16 at one point in the first half. The 16-point deficit breaks a record held by Loyola Chicago after the Ramblers came back from a 15-point deficit to win the national title. And until Monday night, the biggest halftime deficit ever turned around in a national title game was 10 when Kentucky came back to beat Utah.

David McCormack's basket with 22 seconds left put the Jayhawks up by three after North Carolina's Armando Bacot turned his right ankle and had to limp off the court with less than a minute left. Bacot injured that ankle Saturday against Duke.

The Tar Heels couldn't get a good look on the possession after McCormack's basket before the ball went out of bounds with under five seconds to go. But Kansas' DaJuan Harris accidentally stepped out of bounds while receiving the ensuing inbound pass and gave North Carolina another shot to send the game to overtime with 4.3 seconds to go.

That shot to tie didn't hit the rim. Caleb Love was smothered on the inbounds pass while 3-point threat Brady Manek stumbled as the inbounds play unfolded. Love was forced to shoot an off-balance guarded three that didn't hit anything.

Kansas didn't take long to erase North Carolina's lead in the second half. The Jayhawks quickly got the deficit down to single digits within the first 2:30 of the half and had the game tied before the 10-minute mark as Christian Braun rebounded from a poor first half to score 10 points in the middle of the comeback.

A Remy Martin three put Kansas up 53-50 with 10:20 to go and then Jalen Wilson got an and-one to extend the lead to six just 12 seconds later.

North Carolina didn’t go away. The Tar Heels tied the game at 57-57 before a three by Martin put Kansas back in front. UNC got the game tied at 65-65 with less than four minutes to go before Martin hit another go-ahead three.

UNC then took a one-point lead with less than two minutes to go before McCormack put Kansas up for good.

The title is Kansas' second under coach Bill Self. The first came in 2008 in a game that also goes down in March Madness lore thanks to Mario Chalmers' three with two seconds left to send Kansas into overtime with Memphis.

That title established Self as one of the elite coaches in college basketball and he's now tied with Iona's Rick Pitino and Villanova's Jay Wright for the most national championships among active coaches as he and Kansas are in the midst of a drawn-out battle with the NCAA over alleged pay-for-play violations as part of the FBI's investigation into college basketball.

Perhaps that turmoil between Kansas and the NCAA helped lead NCAA president Mark Emmert to accidentally say the "Kansas City Jayhawks" had won the national title before Kansas received the trophy.

Self is now the only Kansas coach to win more than one national title in his time at the school and KU ties UConn for the sixth-most titles among college basketball programs.The championship comes in Kansas’ 16th Final Four and first Final Four appearance since 2018. KU hadn’t been back to the national championship game since 2012 when it lost to Kentucky.

Before the second half began it was impossible to rule out a Kansas comeback but it was, quite frankly, remarkable how quickly the game turned. And that comeback also happened despite Ochai Agbaji’s four missed free throws within a minute in that span.

Agbaji finished with 12 points on Monday night and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player over McCormack despite the big man's season-high against Villanova on Saturday night and his clutch buckets late against North Carolina.

The Jayhawks looked like they had more energy than the Tar Heels after the break after playing incredibly poorly for the first 20 minutes. It also helped that Braun and Wilson started making their shots after they went a combined 2-of-14 in the first half. Wilson even missed four shots near the rim before halftime.

The Tar Heels led 40-25 at the half in a lead that was even more remarkable given what happened at the start. Kansas got off to a hot start much like it did against Villanova on Saturday night and was quickly up 7-0.

UNC outscored Kansas by 22 the rest of the way as the Jayhawks looked lost and had a hard time making shots anywhere on the floor. Kansas was just 10-of-33 from the field in the first 20 minutes and North Carolina, quite frankly, wasn’t much better. The Tar Heels were just 12-of-33 from the field but dominated Kansas on the boards. UNC had eight offensive rebounds in the first half and the continuation of possessions was a huge reason the Tar Heels took such a big lead.

Bacot grabbed 10 rebounds in the first half despite that ankle injury. He finished the game with 15 points and 15 rebounds before he limped off the floor.

Kansas led 11-5 after the hot start and never led again until it was 53-50 after North Carolina took a 20-18 lead with 8:46 to go in the first half. The Jayhawks tied the game at 22-22 but Brady Manek hit two threes to extend North Carolina’s lead to six and spark a 16-0 first-half run that lasted less than four minutes.

Kansas: 2021-22 Big 12 Men's Basketball Champions

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- — David McCormack had 18 points and 11 rebounds, Ochai Agbaji made a pair of clinching foul shots with just over a minute to go, and sixth-ranked Kansas beat No. 14 Texas Tech 74-65 on Saturday night to win the Big 12 Tournament title.

Agbaji finished with 16 points, Christian Braun had 14 and Jalen Wilson and Remy Martin 12 apiece to lead the Jayhawks (27-6), who showcased poise and resilience in the final minutes while the Red Raiders fumbled away a chance at the title.

Texas Tech trailed 63-58 with about 4 minutes to go when Terrence Shannon Jr. was called for charging. Kevin Obanor turned it over on the Red Raiders' next possession, then stepped over the end line while trying to inbound the ball for another turnover, each of them allowing the Jayhawks to draw away down the stretch.

The heavily pro-Kansas crowd began its haunting "Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk" chant with 28.6 seconds left on the clock, and coach Bill Self's squad coasted to its 12th conference tournament title since the league's inception in 1996-97.

It probably locked up a No. 1 seed in next week's NCAA Tournament, too.

Shannon finished with 14 points, and Bryson Williams had 17 for the Red Raiders (25-9), who still have never won the Big 12 Tournament. They also lost to Oklahoma State in their only other championship appearance in 2005.

The teams, who finished a game apart in the Big 12, waged a pair of nip-and-tuck classics during the regular season with each winning at home. Their game at Allen Fieldhouse may have been the league's best all year, a back-and-forth showdown that went to double overtime before the Jayhawks escaped with the win.

Just how evenly matched were they Saturday night?

Neither team scored more than five straight points in the first half. Neither led by more than four. Neither scored more than two straight baskets without the other team providing some kind of answer at the other end.

Even when it looked as if Kansas was building some momentum, and Martin knocked down a long jumper to make it 37-33 in the final minute, Williams provided an answering 3-pointer to keep the Red Raiders within a point at the half.

It remained close throughout the second half.

When Kansas edged ahead by five, Shannon and the Red Raiders responded with seven straight points. When Texas Tech took a 54-51 lead with 11:20 to go, Wilson and Agbaji — the tournament's MVP — provided back-to-back buckets that began a 12-2 charge and gave the Jayhawks a 63-56 lead with less than 5 minutes to play.

They showcased the veteran poised needed to maintain it the rest of the way.

BIG PICTURE

Texas Tech was still within 64-60 with 3:06 to play, but Kansas scored the next six points as the Red Raiders continued to wilt under the pressure. It was a stunning departure from the norm for a team that starts a junior (Shannon) alongside five seniors and that has played in plenty of tight games this season.

Kansas overcame a poor performance from beyond the arc (3 for 22) by doing the little things: The Jayhawks took care of the ball, made the extra pass and got to the foul line. They were 25 of 32 on their free throws, including big ones from Agbaji — the league's player of the year — when the outcome was on the line.

UP NEXT

It's time for Selection Sunday. The Jayhawks have an eye on one of the four No. 1 seeds while the Red Raiders could land as high as the No. 2 line after their spirited run to the Big 12 Tournament title game.

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Kansas: 2017-18 Big 12 Men's Basketball Champions

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Devonte Graham ripped off the shooting sleeve he was wearing and tossed it into the crowd, then took the two-time Big 12 defensive player of the year baseline for a pullup jumper.

Talk about unflappable.

Unstoppable, too.

The league's player of the year finished with 18 points and 13 assists, most of them during the decisive second half, and Graham led ninth-ranked Kansas to an 81-70 victory over Jevon Carter and No. 18 West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament championship game Saturday night.

Malik Newman added 20 points on his way to tournament MVP, and freshman Silvio De Sousa had 16 points on 8-for-8 shooting in place of injured big man Udoka Azubuike, lifting the Jayhawks (27-7) to their 11th tournament title and a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

It was the second time in three years they've beaten West Virginia (24-10) for the championship.

"We just locked on and starting plays and kept competing, and it was just fun. It was fun to be out there," Graham said with a smile. "It helped that we were able to make shots."

Modest understatement there. The Jayhawks shot 72 percent from the field in the second half, and 56 percent for the game, while going 15 of 27 from beyond the 3-point arc.

"They have a lot of guys who can make shots," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. "Let's be honest, all of those guys out there, if they're not McDonald's All-Americans it's because they're from another country. They have good players and their guy can coach, you know?"

Daxter Miles Jr. hit five 3s and had 25 points to lead West Virginia, which has lost the last three Big 12 title games. Sagaba Konate added 18 points while Carter, the best defender in the league, finished with 17 points and nine assists.

West Virginia still has not won a postseason league tournament since the Big East in 2010.

"They just did a real good job of knocking down shots," Carter said. "Seemed like every shot they put up, it went in. When we went cold, they kept hitting."

The Mountaineers controlled most of the first half, picking and choosing when to employ their full-court press. And they caught a break when Mykhailiuk and Mitch Lightfoot picked up two fouls apiece, allowing Konate to score nearly at will in the paint.

Then the Mountaineers' big fella picked up his second foul and took a seat on the bench.

The Jayhawks roared back to briefly tie the game, and trailed 34-33 at the break after De Sousa threw down an alley-oop dunk in transition in the closing seconds of the first half.

One of the hallmarks of Kansas over the years, especially under Bill Self, has been tenacious half-court defense -- and the Mountaineers shredded it early in the second half. They scored their first eight possessions, and Miles' layup gave them their biggest lead at 51-43 with 15:08 left.

From there, the game turned into a back-and-forth prizefight: Kansas scored 10 straight, West Virginia answered with eight in a row and the Jayhawks responded with 10 more.

"They got control of the game. We made a run. They got control in the second half, we made a run," Self said, "and that was the difference. When they had a chance to distance themselves we got back in it, and we played almost flawless down the stretch."

The Jayhawks' last run was part of a larger 17-3 charge to finally take control.

Graham capped it with his fadeaway baseline jumper over Carter -- after shedding a bit of clothes -- and a 3-pointer from the wing that made it 73-66 with 3:49 to go.

West Virginia got it to 76-70 on Carter's two free throws moments later, but Miles missed a 3-pointer and Carter missed a circus-style layup, then turned the ball over with a minute left.

That allowed the Jayhawks to seal their latest Big 12 championship from the foul line.

"We had open shots, didn't make them. They had contested shots, made them," Huggins said. "If they can do that for three weeks, they could win a national championship."

MORE ON DOKE

Azubuike will be evaluated again Sunday, and Self expressed hope that he would be ready for the Jayhawks' NCAA Tournament opener. The 7-foot sophomore hurt a ligament in his left knee during practice Tuesday, but he appeared to be moving well with a brace on before the game.

BIG PICTURE



West Virginia will be happy to play someone other than Kansas in the NCAA Tournament. Not only have the Mountaineers struggled against the Jayhawks in Kansas City, they were swept in the regular season -- blowing a big second-half lead during the game in Lawrence.

Kansas got a big lift from De Sousa, who joined the team after graduating from high school in December. The 6-foot-9 forward grew by leaps and bounds during his time at Sprint Center, making the Jayhawks an even scarier proposition in next week's NCAA Tournament.

UP NEXT

West Virginia and Kansas head home to rest before Selection Sunday. The Big 12 could get anywhere from five to nine teams into the dance, with the Jayhawks a likely No. 1 seed.

Kansas Jayhawks: 2015-16 Big 12 Men's Basketball Champions

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Bill Self still remembers the day Devonte Graham stepped foot on the Kansas campus, back when the point guard was trying to decide where he was going to play college basketball.

"I told him when he visited, `You're going to own this place if you just come in and try hard," Self recalled with a smile. "His attitude is just a 10 and I think it's rubbed off on others."

His game has turned into a 10, too.

Graham matched a career-high with 27 points Saturday night, Wayne Selden Jr. added 21, and the top-ranked Jayhawks overcame a remarkable performance by West Virginia's Devin Williams for an 81-71 victory over the No. 9 Mountaineers in the Big 12 Tournament title game.

Perry Ellis added 17 points for the Jayhawks (30-4), who almost certainly locked up the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament by winning their 10th Big 12 Tournament championship.

"I felt like we played well," said Graham, the game net hanging around his neck. "We just have to keep playing the way we've been playing. Play better. Keep the confidence we have. Keep this momentum going."

Kansas trailed the Mountaineers (26-8) at the break before seizing control, and it was Graham who made the difference. He hit five 3-pointers, was 10 of 10 from the foul line and had a four steals while helping his teammates through the Mountaineers' trademark pressure.

"I can't put it into words," Graham said. "It's a good feeling."

Williams finished with a career-best 31 points and 10 rebounds, but the junior forward was forced to carry the load by himself. Jevon Carter was held to four points after scoring 26 in a semifinal win over No. 6 Oklahoma, and leading scorer Jaysean Paige managed just six points while committing four turnovers.

"We came here to win a championship and we fell short," Paige still. "Time to go back to work."

With supporters and protesters of Republican presidential contender Donald Trump trading barbs just down the street, two teams intimately familiar with each other spent the first 20 minutes trading baskets.

Trading turnovers, too. They combined for 24 of those in the first half.

Williams was the difference-maker, scoring 18 points on 7-for-7 shooting. That helped the Mountaineers cover a 0-for-7 performance from beyond the arc and forge a 33-32 halftime advantage.

It didn't stay that way for long.

With his infectious aura and devil-may-care attitude, Graham began to take over for the Jayhawks in the second half. He knocked down a 3-pointer immediately out of the locker room, then curled in two more in quick succession to give Kansas a 51-39 lead with just under 15 minutes to go.

West Virginia's vaunted press, so effective early in the game, had been reduced to shreds.

Attrition and foul trouble also began to play a role. Williams appeared gassed in the closing minutes, and Carter and Daxter Miles Jr. had to play with four fouls apiece down the stretch.

The remarkable depth of the Jayhawks became apparent as Self kept sending wave after wave of long, talented players onto the floor. And no matter what combination he used, Kansas never seemed to get too far out of rhythm, holding the Mountaineers at bay in the closing minutes.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Jayhawks celebrated in a businesslike manner -- as if they had known all along the outcome was inevitable. They shook hands with West Virginia, gathered together in front of the bench and patiently awaited their coronation as the league's best one more time.

"It probably was not the most artistic game, but both teams competed hard," Self said. "They had a guy that played unreal and we had a couple of guys that did as well, but it was a good game, and a game that was tough, and I'm certainly very proud of our team."

ALL-TOURNAMENT

Graham was joined on the all-tournament team by Ellis and Williams, while Iowa State forward Georges Niang and Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield rounded out the five-man squad.

TIP-INS

West Virginia: Williams was 9 of 12 from the field and 13 of 15 from the foul line. ... The Mountaineers finished 2 of 15 from beyond the arc. ... West Virginia did not block a shot in the game.

Kansas: Frank Mason III appeared to hurt his hip, though he never left the game. The starting guard had four points and seven assists. ... Kansas has won 30 games in six of the past eight seasons.

UP NEXT

West Virginia heads home for Selection Sunday.

Kansas awaits a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Kansas: 2012-13 Big 12 Champions

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas wasn't about to share this title with Kansas State.

Jeff Withey had 17 points and nine rebounds, Perry Ellis and Naadir Tharpe added 12 points each, and the seventh-ranked Jayhawks pounded the No. 11 Wildcats 70-54 on Saturday night to win their ninth Big 12 tournament championship.

The top-seeded Jayhawks (29-5), who shared the regular-season title with their in-state rival, took a 24-16 lead at halftime and then slowly stretched it in the second half.

Rodney McGruder scored 18 points despite a poor first half, and Angel Rodriguez had 10 for Kansas State, which still has not won a conference tournament in more than 30 years.The Wildcats (27-7) struggled to match Withey and Ellis in the paint, losing for the third time this season to the Jayhawks and for the 47th time in their last 50 meetings.

The Jayhawks, who may have earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament with the win, sure have had Kansas State's number. They've won their last 11 match-ups in league tournaments, and have won 39 of the 42 games they have played overall since the inception of the Big 12.

That includes all three games this season.

The interest in Round 3, the first meeting between the schools in a league tournament title game since 1980 -- back in the days of the old Big Eight -- resulted in a record crowd of 19,256.

The ticket was so hot that Eric and Faith DeVault, who were married Saturday morning in suburban Kansas City, were given a pair as a gift and turned out for the game still in their tuxedo and wedding dress -- though Faith ditched her heels for a pair of flats.

They were treated to a first half that would have made Bill Snyder and Charlie Weis proud.

Two of the best defensive teams in the country, Kansas and Kansas State made more blocks and tackles than layups and jump shots over the first 20 minutes. Both teams committed nine turnovers, and the Wildcats had just three assists while going 6 of 27 from the field.

Kansas State actually struck first, pulling ahead 11-8 on a 3-pointer by Martavious Irving with 11:44 remaining in the half. But the Jayhawks buckled down on defense and the Wildcats didn't make another field goal until Rodriguez rattled in a deep 3 with 1:25 left on the clock.

Meanwhile, Elijah Johnson and Tharpe each hit 3-pointers during a 14-2 run by the Jayhawks, and a bucket by Kevin Young in the closing seconds made it 24-16 at the break.

It was Kansas State's lowest-scoring half this season, and the second-lowest by Kansas.

McGruder, who scored 24 points in a quarterfinal win over Texas and 24 in the semifinals against Oklahoma State, had four points on 2-of-9 shooting in the first half.

Ben McLemore, the Jayhawks' star freshman, was scoreless after missing three 3-pointers.

The Wildcats finally got into a rhythm early in the second half, and a put-back off McGruder's miss by big Thomas Gipson got them to 28-25. But that's when Kansas once against clamped down on defense, and the result was another 12-3 to seize control.

Young started it with a bucket around the rim, Tharpe hit an open 3-pointer and then made a nice feed to Travis Releford for a dunk. A few minutes later, Tharpe hit another 3-pointer to give the Jayhawks a 43-31 and force an incensed Kansas State coach Bruce Weber to call timeout.

Kansas stretched its lead to 60-46 on a 3-pointer by Ellis, who scored a career-high 23 points in a semifinal win over Iowa State, and 65-48 on a three-point play by Withey.

The Wildcats never could get the lead under 10 the rest of the way as Kansas improved to 9-1 in Big 12 tournament title games. The Jayhawks also improved to 6-0 this season at Sprint Center, which just so happens to be a host site for the NCAA tournament next weekend.

Notre Dame and Boston College, where is your God now? Ohohohohohohoooh...

And Nebraska too, I might add. And Arizona State. The Fighting Irish were leveled by Navy, 46-44, The Cornhuskers played their best game of the season, a 72-36 drubbing to Kansas. And Boston College's angels lost their wings, falling gracelessly to Florida State, 27-17. And the Sun Devils were ambushed by some Ducks from Eugene.

Meanwhile, my favorite teams were doing decently. My high school football team destroyed Wilson's homecoming, 41-0. My women's soccer team defeated Cal Poly 3-1 after playing some more uninspiring faggotry against those hated Zots. The men's water polo team actually got a win in a while against Pepperdine. The women's volleyball team disposed of Fullerton, Bakersfield, and Northridge in successive sweeps. And the men's ice hockey team took care of Arizona State's DII side in a 5-2 win on Friday. I have yet to see results from my rugby team, and the result today in ice hockey. Also, some more games are in order, with a soccer match against the Gauchos and a water polo matinee against Pomona-Pitzer.

And also, what the hell is with this message I'm seeing when I'm labeling my posts?

ERROR

Must be at most 200 characters

Up it to 1,000, you oppressors running Blogger! 200 is for grade school blogging n00bs.

The Warrior football team was off this week. And I can't believe my eyes: Long Beach City actually had a victory today in football defeating those patsies from Golden West. Stuff-all.