Kansas played BYU on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse on a day where ESPN’s College GameDay was on the scene to start the day. The Jayhawks entered with a 15-5 record and a 5-2 mark in Big 12 play, while BYU was 17-3, and an identical 5-2 league mark. But on Saturday, it was KU coming out strong and dominating this game at home, as the Jayhawks did have to hold on late for an 90-82 win over the Cougars. Here’s what we learned.
Kansas is Coming Together
Kansas had no one on the injury report when it dropped on Friday. And with star Darryn Peterson finding himself on that list consistently in recent weeks, it was a breath of fresh air to see no one listed. And on a night where there were 32 NBA executives representing 17 different teams, Peterson got off to a hot start, scoring nine of the team’s first 15 points, and never looked back as KU jumped out to a 29-14 lead at the nine-minute mark of the first half and rolled to a dominant victory. Peterson finished with 18 points in 20 minutes, but ultimately sat most of the second half due to cramping.
Now, the Cougars did make a nice push in the second half, cutting the lead to four points in the last minute, but KU held on for the victory. This team is different without Peterson playing at an NBA level, and the second-half cramps are concerning, again. But for now, KU fans can celebrate a great home win that keeps them in the Big 12 race. Now as for the Cougars … (see below).
BYU May Be Out of the Big 12 Race
With three losses in league play, BYU is now behind five teams in the standings, and have losses to three teams in front of them in Arizona, Kansas and Texas Tech. This puts BYU is a very tough spot if its wants to make a serious run at a Big 12 regular season title.
I won’t overreact to the loss on Saturday, as they walked into a perfect storm in Allen Fieldhouse, but AJ Dybantsa’s slow start was disappointing to see, and the Dybantsa vs. Peterson storyline that was hyped up before the game did not come close to meeting expectations. BYU does have three ranked opponents in its next six games, with Houston, Arizona and Iowa State on the schedule. If the Cougars are serious about competing atop the Big 12, they likely need to go 2-1, at worst, in those three, with a clean sweep actually being more realistic at this point to have any chance to win the Big 12.
Allen Fieldhouse is the Best
It’s the best basketball environment in the nation, and this was proven, once again, on Saturday. The scene was absolutely electric for the 1,000th game at Allen Fieldhouse. The Fieldhouse was dedicated on March 1, 1955, as the Jayhawks defeated Kansas State, 77-66, before an overflow throng of 17,228. Noted sportswriter Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register calls Allen Fieldhouse “the best place in America to watch college basketball.” 70 years after its opening, this hasn’t changed. The College GameDay crew confirmed as much.
Having personally experienced Allen Fieldhouse on multiple occasions, I agree with anyone who says its the best sports venue in America. And BYU was clearly overwhelmed by the environment to start the game.
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