WACO, Texas – Kansas blowing the most important lead in a loss within the storied program’s historical past did not value coach Invoice Self his humorousness.
“I truthfully consider that the oranges that we ate at halftime that Baylor offered was in all probability the rationale why we (had been unhealthy) the second half,” Self mentioned after the No. 11 Jayhawks could not defend a 21-point lead from late within the first half in an 81-70 loss to the Bears on Saturday.
The gorgeous reversal topped the 20-point lead Kansas blew to Arizona, which was No. 1, at famed Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 27, 2003.
Apparently, each occasions the Jayhawks have led by no less than 20 factors and misplaced, it was a double-digit setback. In a 91-74 victory 22 years in the past, the Wildcats stormed again from a 44-24 deficit.
Another excuse for Self to be extra subdued than irate. That was the scene within the locker room.
“I actually didn’t say a lot,” Self mentioned. “I don’t assume in conditions like that there’s actually so much to be mentioned. Any sort of pick-’em-up discuss isn’t going to be heard. And there’s no cause to get on anyone.”
Freshman Robert Wright III scored 20 of his 24 factors for the Bears (14-7, 6-4 Large 12) after the break, when Kansas led 40-21 after going forward 38-17 within the last minutes of the primary half.
Baylor opened the second half on a 26-6 run, capped by Wright’s free throws for a 47-46 lead, sparking one in every of a number of deafening roars from the sellout crowd at 7,500-seat Foster Pavilion.
The Jayhawks (15-6, 6-4) received the lead again to 10 and had been nonetheless up eight with six minutes to go, when Baylor completed on a 26-7 run to cap a 60-point second half.
Jalen Celestine’s tiebreaking 3-pointer put the Bears up for good 66-63 with 4 minutes remaining.
Baylor accomplished the rally with out VJ Edgecombe, the workforce’s main scorer in Large 12 video games. The Bears had been in the midst of the massive comeback when the freshman, who had 14 factors, limped to the locker room with an harm. He did not return.
“In case you don’t consider in miracles, that second half, such a restricted bench and towards a Corridor of Fame coach and a fantastic workforce that don’t beat themselves,” Baylor coach Scott Drew mentioned. “I believe our crowd deserves quite a lot of credit score. We solely had 11 assists, however I believe the group will get 10 of them.”
The collapse by the Jayhawks got here per week after sixth-ranked Houston pulled off inconceivable rallies within the last seconds of regulation and the primary time beyond regulation in a double-OT win at Allen Fieldhouse.
“Yeah, there’s some concern,” Self mentioned. “It was two totally different sort video games. The way in which the (Baylor) sport ended was indicative of how the whole second half went. It wasn’t only a closeout.”
The Jayhawks had a 20-0 edge in bench scoring on the break, however Celestine closed that hole by himself by going 4 of 6 on 3-pointers after halftime. The ultimate bench scoring margin was 28-12.
Kansas had three fewer turnovers than Baylor with 14, however was outscored 24-11 in factors off turnovers. The Bears scored 15 of these factors after the break, and the Jayhawks shot 36% within the second half.
Hunter Dickinson scored 20 factors for the Jayhawks, who did not get constant scoring from anybody else.
“They had been pretty much as good as we had been the primary half, plus,” Self mentioned of the second half. “And we had been as unhealthy as they had been the primary half, plus.”
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