KU Jayhawks have dominated all-time hoops series vs. Wichita State, except in postseason

Kansas and Wichita State have met just 15 times through the years, the Jayhawks holding a commanding 12-3 advantage in the men’s basketball matchups between the Sunflower State schools.

KU’s nine-game lead in the all-time series — which resumes Saturday when the No. 2-ranked Jayhawks (11-1) meet the Shockers (8-4) at 3 p.m. at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City — does not necessarily give the Jayhawks unquestioned bragging rights, however.

That’s because two of Wichita State’s three victories over KU have come in the postseason — in the all-important NCAA Tournament.

The Shockers defeated Bill Self’s Jayhawks 78-65 in a second-round Midwest Regional contest on March 22, 2015, in Omaha, Nebraska. Also, WSU tripped Ted Owens’ KU squad 66-65 in a Midwest Regional Sweet 16 contest on March 20, 1981, in New Orleans.

Other than those two games and a 54-49 WSU win over Larry Brown’s Jayhawks, on Jan. 6, 1987, in Wichita, it’s been all KU in the series.

KU is 6-1 vs. Wichita State in Wichita and 4-0 in Lawrence. KU is 2-0 vs. WSU in Kansas City but, as stated above, 0-2 in the NCAAs.

Here’s a look back at the two NCAA Tourney games between KU and WSU:

Wichita State, 78, Kansas 65, NCAA Tournament, Round of 32

March 22, 2015, Omaha, Nebraska

The No. 7-seed Shockers knocked off No. 2 seed KU in a second-round Midwest Regional contest at CenturyLink Center.

Yes it was WSU (30-4) that prevailed over KU (27-9) in the first meeting between the schools in 22 years.

Wichita native Perry Ellis — who took an elbow to the nose from Wichita State’s Fred VanVleet late in the first half that sent Ellis to the locker room for treatment — scored 17 points with eight rebounds for Kansas, and Devonté Graham had an identical 17 points (with five steals) for KU against a Shocker team that hit 60% of its shots the final half. Frank Mason contributed 16 points for KU.

Senior Tekele Cotton scored 19 points, junior VanVleet 17 points, redshirt juniors Ron Baker and Evan Wessel 12 points apiece and senior Darius Carter 10 points for an experienced Wichita State team. Wessel was especially effective, hitting four 3-pointers.

KU led by as many as eight points in the first half. However the Shockers, courtesy of a 13-2 half-ending run, grabbed a 29-26 lead at the break. WSU opened the second half with a 12-4 run and led 41-30 with 15 minutes to play. The Jayhawks cut the gap to 63-55 with six minutes remaining.

However, Wichita State broke KU’s full-court press and Carter cashed a layup to give the Shockers a 10-point lead.

“We didn’t play very smart,” KU coach Self said after the game. “We took bad shots and rushed shots and basically gave them confidence.”

KU hit just 35.1% of its shots. The Jayhawks were 6-of-21 from 3. KU was 19-of-23 from the line. Wichita State went 10-of-20 from 3 and hit 49% of its shots overall.

KU’s Landen Lucas grabbed 10 rebounds but scored two points. Wayne Selden went scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting.

“I’m speechless,” Cotton told ESPN.com after the game. “Like I heard Fred say in the locker room, this feeling is unreal, and he was right about that.”

KU had won its previous 12 games against Wichita State by an average margin of 23.9 points per game.

“There’s so much to be said about this rivalry with Kansas,” VanVleet told ESPN, “but really, it’s all about the fans. What better story is there for Wichita State? We don’t have McDonald’s All-Americans, we don’t have guys that have been in the spotlight and been given that pedestal.

“We work for everything we’ve got, from managers to coaches to our preacher to, you know, whoever. We’ve scrapped and fought our whole lives.”

As the Wichita Eagle pointed out, the Shockers enjoyed this one.

“Kellen Marshall after the final horn unveiled a yellow shirt reading, ‘Kings of Kansas,’” wrote Paul Suellentrop of the Wichita Eagle.

Suellentrop added in his account of the game: “WSU fans sang, ‘You don’t want to go to war with the Shockers.’ Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall danced to the tune, pointed at the band and hugged Evan Wessel. Fred VanVleet cupped his ear and asked the crowd for more noise. Wessel and Tekele Cotton hugged at mid-court and pointed to the crowd. University president John Bardo stood on the court and pumped his fist to the Shockers fans. The crowd chanted ‘Evan Wessel, Evan Wessel.’’’

Wichita State went on to lose to Notre Dame 81-70 in the Sweet 16 in Cleveland.

Wichita State 66, Kansas 65, NCAA Tournament, Sweet 16

March 20, 1981, New Orleans

In the first meeting between the teams since the 1955-56 season, the No. 6-seed Shockers upended the No. 7-seed Jayhawks on a last-second 25-footer by Mike Jones.

The Jayhawks led 65-62 with 56 seconds left when KU guard/Wichita native Darnell Valentine missed the front end of a one-and-one. Jones hit a jumper that cut the gap to one point (65-64) with 46 seconds left.

Valentine who was guarded by Randy Smithson, missed a driving layup and WSU rebounded at with 24 seconds left. The Shockers held the ball for a final shot. With 4 seconds remaining, instead of passing to forward Antoine Carr, Jones released a shot from 25 feet. It swished and gave the Shockers a 66-65 advantage.

Jones finished with just eight points in the game, four off those two daggers.

Of his game-winner, Jones told the Eagle: “The option was to get Randy an open shot, but with Randy, he had to get the shot off right away (or get it blocked).”

Smithson, who was well-guarded by KU’s John Crawford, reversed the ball to Jones, who caught it with 6 seconds left.

“The third option, in my mind, was being prepared to shoot,” Jones told the Eagle. “I never lacked the confidence in shooting. Anywhere on the court. There was no shot I was afraid to take. I always felt like I could hit it.”

Here’s how Mark Hersey, of KU’s Department of History, described KU’s final possession, down one point with 2 seconds remaining.

“Kansas called timeout and drew up a play in the hope of drawing a foul that would send KU to the line. As the Jayhawks prepared to inbound, Valentine set a pick on the baseline. Kansas reserve Booty Neal ran the baseline looking like he intended to get the ball in play while Wichita State’s Jay Jackson trailed him.

“The play worked to perfection as Jackson crashed through Valentine. However, much to the chagrin of the KU faithful, no foul was called. With the play broken and no one to whom he might inbound the ball, Neal called timeout.

“When play resumed, the Jayhawks’ inbounds pass sailed innocuously over everyone’s head and out of bounds. KU fouled a Shockers player (Smithson) as Wichita State took the ball in to send him to the line. Although the player (Smithson) missed his free throw, Kansas (Booty Neal who rebounded and heaved the ball downcourt) could not get off a decent shot and time expired.”

The no-call on the perfectly diagrammed inbounds play bothered KU coach Owens.

“Thirty-thousand people knew it was a foul except the three who didn’t call it,” he said after the game.

Valentine said: “It was kind of obvious (that he’d been fouled).

Jackson in 2006 confessed to the Wichita Eagle: “To be honest, I thought I was going to be the biggest goat in the history of Wichita State basketball.”

Wichita State (26-7), which ultimately lost to LSU in the Elite Eight, outrebounded KU 37-24.

The Shockers were led by forwards Cliff Levingston and Carr, who had 18 and 16 points respectively. Levingston had 14 rebounds and Carr nine. Smithson had 16 points and seven assists.

Valentine scored 21 points with six assists and four steals, while John Crawford had 11 points and David Magley added 10 points for KU. Magley had seven rebounds and four assists.

As far as the non-NCAA Tournament games in the KU-Wichita State series … KU won the last regular-season game between the teams 103-54 on Jan. 6, 1993, at Allen Fieldhouse. KU also won at Allen 84-50 on Jan. 23, 1991; 86-66 on Jan. 25, 1989, and 79-69 on Feb. 5, 1984.

KU’s one loss in Wichita against six wins was 54-49 on Jan. 6, 1987. Also in Wichita, KU rolled over the Shockers 81-51 on Jan. 8, 1992, and 93-66 on Jan. 9, 1990. KU won in Wichita in 1908 (65-15), 1941 (54-39), 1942 (56-37) and 1955 (56-55). And in a pair of games in Kansas City, KU won 90-83 on Jan. 5, 1985, and 81-56 on Dec. 28, 1985.