MANHATTAN -- There have been 297 matchups in the basketball history of the Sunflower Showdown, but the last two looked like they were going to follow eerily similar scripts. Kansas State punched early, knocking the Jayhawks down with a 24-12 spurt to begin the game that prompted two quick timeouts from Kansas head coach Bill Self. KU punched late, reclaiming the lead for the first time in the second half at 58-57 with 8:40 to play.
Unlike last year’s matchup in Manhattan, the second-ranked Jayhawks were unable to convert on their final play in regulation, turning the ball over near mid-court to cause a frantic scene at the buzzer that included a missed layup from senior forward Keyontae Johnson.
In overtime, Kansas State put together a repeat of the closing minutes from a week prior, as senior guard Markquis Nowell found Johnson for an alley-oop slam that gave the Wildcats an 83-82 lead. It was a near carbon-copy of the game-sealing dunk he threw down to beat Oklahoma State a week prior.
The Wildcats were able to force a turnover on the defensive end, not allowing the Jayhawks to get a shot up before time expired.
Johnson’s dunk put the finishing touch on a 24-point performance that included eight rebounds and two assists for the former Florida star. On a night where Kansas forward Jalen Wilson scored 38 points and had a 3-pointer that would’ve given him 41 wiped away by a late shot-clock timeout, Johnson’s dunk was punctuated over the Kansas star to secure the first K-State win over the Jayhawks since 2019.
Early and often the Wildcats worked offensively and found one-on-one matchups that could be exploited to create driving lanes and open 3-pointers. Johnson cleared the floor out and drove for layups while drive and kick opportunities were available for Nowell.
For much of the first half, that recipe led to makes for the Wildcats, who made their first five attempts from distance and spurted their way to a 24-12 lead in the game’s first nine minutes. The lead for the Wildcats stretched to 33-19 with 8:17 to go in the first half, the largest lead the Wildcats would hold in the contest.
But as the defending national champions have done early in Big 12 play this year, Kansas responded with championship mettle. Senior guard Desi Sills led the way for Kansas State’s offensive surge, making his first five attempts from the floor and his first two attempts from distance.
As Kansas State’s shots stopped falling at the absurdly high clip they were, the early double-digit lead for the Wildcats slimmed.
With KU pulling to within a possession shortly before half, senior forward Keyontae Johnson worked his way into the lane and hit his signature mid-range jumper to give the Wildcats a 44-39 lead at the break.
Both teams shot above 50 percent from the floor in the first half, but that trend did not continue into the second half, as defensive fervor for both squads intensified. In the second half, the Jayhawks started off as cold as the temperatures outside the building, missing their first five attempts from distance before freshman guard Gradey Dick connected on a 3-pointer from the top of the 3-point arc.
The first Jayhawk lead since it was 6-4 early in the first half came at 58-57, and the teams exchanged baskets frequently down the stretch. With the game tied at 72, a pass from Kansas guard Dajuan Harris.
Kansas had three starters foul out of the contest in a game that saw 49 fouls called in 45 minutes of basketball.
With the win, Kansas State improved to 5-1 in Big 12 play, matching the Jayhawks for the best record in the conference. Next, Kansas State will play Texas Tech on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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