There are stretches in everybody's Big 12 schedule that are easier than others — but there are no easy stretches. Tough home games are often followed by super-tough road games, and the past three days for Kansas illustrate this well.
On Saturday, the Jayhawks upset a Houston team that remains atop the NET rankings by shooting 68.9% from the field en route to a 78-65 victory inside Allen Fieldhouse. Then, barely 48 hours later, KU was tasked with traveling 87 miles west to Bramlage Coliseum, where it spent Monday night playing its in-state rival in a hostile environment.
It did not go well.
Final score: Kansas State 75, Kansas 70 in OT.
Two days after shooting nearly 70% from the field against the nation's top-ranked defense, the Jayhawks shot just 41.2% from the field against a KSU team that entered on a four-game losing streak. It makes no sense except for how it makes perfect sense if you follow the Big 12 closely. The league was always likely to unfold this way considering 10 of the conference's 14 members are ranked in the top 40 of the NET, and considering the average NET ranking of the 14 members is 45.57.
That's 17.07 points better than any other league.
"I thought they were the more athletic and explosive team," said Kansas coach Bill Self. "I thought we showed stretches where we were as well — but the bottom line is it comes down to making free throws."
And 3-pointers.
It was hard not to notice that in a 45-minute game decided by five points, Kansas State combined to outscore the Jayhawks 45 to 20 from the free throw line and 3-point line. Johnny Furphy, the 6-foot-9 freshmen who changed the dynamic of KU's team when he was inserted into the starting lineup roughly three weeks ago, was 0 of 4 from 3-point range and 0 of 0 from the free-throw line in the loss.
Kansas is No. 8 in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Purdue remains No. 1 for the 26th consecutive day. The Jayhawks are 8-4 in the first two quadrants with five Q1 wins and one additional loss (at West Virginia) falling in Q3. That makes Kansas and Arizona the only teams in the top 10 of the Top 25 And 1 with a Q3 loss on the resume.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Zach Edey finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds in Sunday's 75-69 win at Wisconsin. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Indiana. | -- | 34-5 |
| 2 |  | Cam Spencer finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 77-64 win at St. John's. The Huskies' next game is Tuesday against Butler. | -- | 37-3 |
| 3 |  | Jamal Shead was 2 of 9 from the field in Saturday's 78-65 loss at Kansas. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 32-5 |
| 4 |  | Armando Bacot finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 93-84 win over Duke. The Tar Heels' next game is Tuesday against Clemson. | -- | 29-8 |
| 5 |  | Zakai Zeigler finished with 26 points and 13 assists in Saturday's 103-92 win at Kentucky. The Vols' next game is Wednesday against LSU. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 6 |  | AJ Storr was 4 of 15 from the field in Sunday's 75-69 loss to Purdue. The Badgers' next game is Wednesday at Michigan. | 1 | 22-14 |
| 7 |  | Kam Jones finished with 31 points and two steals in Saturday's 91-57 win at Georgetown. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday against St. John's. | 1 | 27-10 |
| 8 |  | Kansas was 3 of 15 from 3-point range in Monday's 75-70 loss at Kansas State. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Baylor. | 3 | 23-11 |
| 9 |  | DaRon Holmes II finished with 34 points and seven rebounds in Friday's 76-71 win over St. Bonaventure. The Flyers' next game is Tuesday at Saint Joseph's. | -- | 25-8 |
| 10 |  | Caleb Love finished with 18 points and seven assists in Sunday's 82-71 win over Stanford. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday at Utah. | -- | 27-9 |
| 11 |  | Jayden Nunn finished with 16 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 70-68 win over Iowa State. The Bears' next game is Tuesday against Texas Tech. | -- | 24-11 |
| 12 |  | Tre King was 1 of 8 from the field in Saturday's 70-68 loss at Baylor. The Cyclones' next game is Tuesday at Texas. | -- | 29-8 |
| 13 |  | Collin Murray-Boyles finished with 16 points and four assists in Saturday's 72-62 win at Georgia. The Gamecocks' next game is Tuesday against Ole Miss. | -- | 26-8 |
| 14 |  | Johni Broome finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 91-77 win at Ole Miss. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Alabama. | -- | 27-8 |
| 15 |  | Tyrese Proctor was 1 of 6 from the field in Saturday's 93-84 loss at North Carolina. The Blue Devils' next game is Wednesday against Notre Dame. | -- | 27-9 |
| 16 |  | Ian Martinez was 1 of 7 from the field in Saturday's 81-67 loss at San Diego State. The Aggies' next game is Tuesday against Nevada. | -- | 28-7 |
| 17 |  | Fousseyni Traore finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 86-73 win at West Virginia. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday at Oklahoma. | -- | 23-11 |
| 18 |  | Coleman Hawkins finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 87-84 win over Nebraska. The Illini's next game is Saturday at Michigan State. | -- | 29-9 |
| 19 |  | Mark Sears finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 99-67 win over Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday at Auburn. | -- | 25-12 |
| 20 |  | Creighton let Butler shoot 55.1% from the field in Friday's 99-98 loss to the Bulldogs. The Bluejays' next game is Wednesday at Providence. | -- | 25-10 |
| 21 |  | Joel Scott finished with 14 points and six assists in Saturday's 73-61 win at Fresno State. The Rams' next game is Tuesday against Boise State. | -- | 25-11 |
| 22 |  | Robbie Avila finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 75-67 win over Drake. The Sycamores' next game is Wednesday against Valparaiso. | -- | 32-7 |
| 23 |  | Jaedon LeDee finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 81-67 win over Utah State. The Aztecs' next game is Tuesday at Air Force. | -- | 26-11 |
| 24 |  | Johnell Davis finished with 24 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 102-70 win over Tulsa. The Owls' next game is Thursday at UAB. | -- | 25-9 |
| 25 |  | Tyson Degenhart finished with 29 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 94-56 win over Air Force. The Broncos' next game is Tuesday at Colorado State. | -- | 22-11 |
| 26 |  | Aidan Mahaney finished with 20 points and one assist in Saturday's 64-62 win at Gonzaga. The Gaels' next game is Tuesday at Pacific. | -- | 26-8 |
