Kansas Dominates UCF 56-35 in Big 12 Opener
Kansas Jayhawks stifled UCF 56-35 in the opening round of the Big 12 men's basketball tournament with a dominant defensive performance. The Jayhawks held UCF to just 14 points in the first half and maintained a double-digit lead for most of the game. This convincing win propels Kansas into the next stage of the tournament and affirms their status as a perennial postseason threat.
The victory for the No. 11 seed Kansas Jayhawks marked their first postseason win over UCF and improved their all-time record against the Knights to 4-1. This was the first time the two teams had met in the Big 12 Tournament. Kansas's defense set a new Big 12 Tournament record by holding UCF to the fewest points ever scored in the tournament's history with just 35. The previous low was 36 points. The Knights were held to 24.6% shooting from the field and a mere 10.5% from three-point range, making only 2 of their 19 attempts. Freshman forward Jaliya Davis was a key player for the Jayhawks, recording her third career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. While Davis was the leading scorer, the Jayhawks' bench also made significant offensive and defensive contributions to the win. The Jayhawks broke the game open with a 15-0 run that spanned the first and second quarters, establishing a 24-10 lead. UCF endured a significant scoring drought, going without a field goal for the final 5:48 of the second quarter and for over seven minutes stretching from the end of the first into the second. With this first-round victory, Kansas improved to 19-12 for the season and advanced to the second round of the tournament. Their next challenge was a matchup against the No. 6 seed, Colorado.
