KU basketball vs. Iowa State recap: Jayhawks win 62-60 in Big 12 Conference thriller

LAWRENCE — Kansas men’s basketball’s 2022-23 regular season continued Saturday with a Big 12 Conference matchup at home against Iowa State.

The No. 2 Jayhawks came in off of a win at home against Oklahoma. The No. 14 Cyclones came in off of a win at home against Texas Tech. Last season, Kansas topped Iowa State twice during the regular season.

Did coach Bill Self’s Jayhawks squad do enough to remain undefeated at home this season? Did coach T.J. Otzelberger’s Cyclones squad do what it couldn't last season and win in Lawrence? Whoever lost is no longer undefeated in Big 12 play.

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Here’s what happened inside Allen Fieldhouse:

FINAL: Kansas 62, Iowa State 60

Tied with 29.5 seconds left at 60-60, Kansas had the ball and got a bucket from KJ Adams Jr. to go up 62-60 with 11.6 seconds left. Then Iowa State called a timeout. And on the ensuing possession, the Cyclones missed a shot heading into the buzzer and the Jayhawks won.

Kansas leads 54-53 against Iowa State with 4:23 left in 2nd half

Iowa State keeps committing turnover after turnover, with five in the last three and a half minutes, and that's helped Kansas get back on top. A Jalen Wilson bucket — which was originally ruled a 3-pointer — has been the latest key offensive play for the Jayhawks. They're up two points with a little less than four and a half minutes remaining in regulation.

The Cyclones still have a chance, though, even with the momentum on Kansas' side. It's only a one-possession game, even if the crowd's energy during this timeout break makes it sound different. And it'll be curious to see if Iowa State can clean things up offensively when it's over.

Iowa State leads 50-47 against Kansas with 7:50 left in 2nd half

The Cyclones have hit six of their last eight field goal attempts, and that's helped them take a slim lead on the Jayhawks with a little less than eight minutes left in regulation. Overall, Iowa State hasn't shot astronomically better that Kansas in the second half. But it has had more field-goal attempts and that's certainly helped.

Gradey Dick has been key for the Jayhawks offensively this half. This might be a time for Bill Self to put him back in the game. Dick's not yet reached 25 minutes played, so odds are he still has the energy Kansas would want to be effective.

Kansas is tied 44-44 with Iowa State with 11:17 left in 2nd half

Man, is Kansas lucky to have Gradey Dick right now. Twice in recent moments, with the Jayhawks down three points, he's hit a 3-pointer to tie the score back up. He's up to 17 points in this one, shooting 6-for-10 from the field, 4-for-7 from behind the arc and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line.

On the other end, Gabe Kalscheur has been having quite the performance himself for Iowa State. He's at 15 points. While he's only 4-for-10 from the field, that includes a 2-for-4 mark on 3s and he's also 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.

Kansas leads 36-35 against Iowa State with 15:37 left in 2nd half

The Jayhawks should have a better lead than just a point, but turnovers and a lack of offensive rebounding have allowed the Cyclones to remain in this one. Iowa State has been able to have many more opportunities offensively to score the ball. Cutting those down, and doing a bit better on the offensive end, would allow Kansas to coast to another Big 12 victory.

Jalen Wilson is up to a double-double now with 11 points and 10 rebounds for Kansas. Teammate KJ Adams Jr. is up to 10 points, which extends his streak of double-figures scoring to 10 games. And outside of Gradey Dick those two are the only Jayhawks enjoying much success offensively.

HALFTIME: Kansas 29, Iowa State 28

Kansas leads 23-18 against Iowa State with 3:36 left in 1st half

Iowa State had a scoring drought that lasted about three and a half minutes end during this stretch, as well as a drought of more than four minutes without a basket from the field. Those issues finishing offensively are, in part, why Kansas leads 23-18 with 3:16 left before halftime. The Jayhawks haven't been thriving offensively, exactly, but defensively been doing enough to stay ahead.

Jalen Wilson could be on his way to a double-double for Kansas. He's already at six points and seven rebounds. And he's the only real double-double candidate at this point.

Kansas leads 18-14 against Iowa State with 7:59 left in 1st half

Both teams have settled in now, and the Jayhawks' lead remains four at a break with about eight minutes left before halftime. Gradey Dick is up to nine points to lead Kansas and all scorers. Zuby Ejiofor and Kevin McCullar Jr. each have a couple fouls, which'll be something to watch for the Jayhawks.

Another thing to watch, is the fact that Kansas is shooting 50% from the field and Iowa State is at 26.3% and the lead is what it is. The Jayhawks have zero offensive rebounds, while the Cyclones have six. It's only led to a couple second-chance points for Iowa State, but that pattern could change in the minutes ahead.

Kansas leads 14-10 against Iowa State with 11:59 left in 1st half

The Jayhawks had a run extend to 12-0 into this latest stretch, and that forced a Cyclones timeout. Although Kansas saw that run come to an end recently, it still has the momentum. The Jayhawks lead 14-10 with about 12 minutes left before halftime.

Zuby Ejiofor and Bobby Pettiford Jr. were Kansas' first two substitutions off of the bench. They took out Kevin McCullar Jr. and KJ Adams Jr. It's no surprise Bobby is the first guard off the bench, but with how Zach Clemence has done recently — at least offensively — there was a possibility Clemence could be the first big in and Ejiofor.

Kansas is tied 5-5 with Iowa State with 15:33 left in 1st half

The Jayhawks started off slow, and fell down 5-0. But Kansas has battled back and is now tied 5-5 with about 15 and a half minutes left before halftime. KJ Adams Jr. got the first bucket for the Jayhawks, as he didn't waste much time showing again he can be a reliable option offensively.

Iowa State already has a couple turnovers, while Kansas doesn't have any. It's too early to say if that'll be an indication of how this game is going to go, but it certainly isn't how the Cyclones would have wanted it to start. The Jayhawks have a couple points off of those turnovers.

The game is underway

Iowa State won the tip-off, and the game has started.

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The starters

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: KU basketball score vs. Iowa State: Live updates from Jayhawks' game