Here’s a look at the last 5 times Kansas men’s basketball has played Kentucky
LAWRENCE — While Kansas men’s basketball assistant coach Norm Roberts discussed a number of topics Tuesday during an appearance on Hawk Talk, there was time devoted to the upcoming contest Saturday against Kentucky.
The Jayhawks and Wildcats have met often in recent years. As two of the premier programs in college basketball, their meetings are marquee matchups. And with Kansas ranked fifth in the latest coaches poll and Kentucky 13th, this week’s game at Allen Fieldhouse figures to be no different.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Roberts said. “And coach talked to our guys about it and just told them that, ‘Hey now, in the big picture it’s not as important as some of the other things that we have going on with the league, but it’s a really, really fun game to be a part of. It’s a historical game. It’s a game that the atmosphere will be unbelievable and you should enjoy every minute of it.’”
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Roberts didn’t have an issue naming player after player on the Wildcats’ roster who the Jayhawks will have to focus on. There’s Kentucky junior forward Oscar Tshiebwe, of course, a tenacious rebounder who’ll likely have a widely watched matchup with Kansas senior forward David McCormack. There are Wildcats shooters to watch out for like graduate guards Kellan Grady and Davion Mintz, too, as well as others.
“It should be a fun game,” said Roberts, who’d describe Kentucky as deep, fast and athletic. “It should be a game where you come out and let it all hang out, go have fun, attack and be in an aggressive mode.”
Here’s a look back at the last five times Kansas (17-2, 6-1 in Big 12 Conference) faced off against Kentucky (16-4, 6-2 in Southeastern Conference):
Dec. 1, 2020: Kansas 65, Kentucky 62
The Jayhawks won this matchup, played in Indianapolis, 65-62. It required a second-half comeback, as the Wildcats had held a six-point lead at halftime. Kansas was led in scoring by Jalen Wilson’s 23 points, and Ochai Agbaji’s 17 points, while Kentucky saw both Davion Mintz and Brandon Boston Jr. each have 12 points.
Wilson, who also had 10 rebounds, recorded the first double-double of his Jayhawks career that day. His scoring output also meant he had the first 20-point game of his career, too.
Jan. 26, 2019: Kentucky 71, Kansas 63
The Jayhawks lost this matchup, played on the road in Lexington, Kentucky, 71-63. This one saw Kansas lose a three-point lead at halftime, as Kentucky out-scored the visitors by 11 points in the second half. Dedric Lawson (20 points, 15 rebounds) finished with a double-double for the Jayhawks, as PJ Washington (20 points, 13 rebounds), Reid Travis (18 points, 12 rebounds) and Keldon Johnson (15 pounds, 10 rebounds) all did for the Wildcats.
Lawson recorded the 50th double-double of his career in this one. He’d played at Memphis prior to coming to Kansas, and was making his 20th start with the Jayhawks.
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Nov. 14, 2017: Kansas 65, Kentucky 61
The Jayhawks won this matchup, played in Chicago, 65-61. Kansas led by as many as 11 points against the Wildcats, and never trailed by more than two. Kentucky saw Kevin Knox lead all scorers with 20 points, but led by Svi Mykhailiuk’s 17 points and more the Jayhawks had enough production offensively to earn the win.
As much as Kansas led by when it held its largest lead, the final eight minutes didn’t feature either side leading by more than four points. Over the course of the contest, there were 12 lead changes and 10 ties.
Jan. 28, 2017: Kansas 79, Kentucky 73
The Jayhawks won this matchup, played in Lexington, Kentucky, 79-73. Kansas had to recover from a first-half deficit in this contest as well, and out-scored Kentucky by 11 points in the second. The Jayhawks had two 20-point scorers in Frank Mason III (21 points) and Josh Jackson (20 points), while the Wildcats saw Derek Willis and Malik Monk each drop 18 points.
Kentucky actually lead in this game more than nine minutes longer than Kansas did. The Wildcats even had a larger lead when they had their largest lead, 12 compared to 10 for the Jayhawks, but couldn’t hold off the visitors.
Jan. 30, 2016: Kansas 90, Kentucky 84
The Jayhawks won this matchup, played in Lawrence, 90-84. Kansas needed overtime to dispatch Kentucky this time. Although Tyler Ulis scored 26 points for the Wildcats, Wayne Selden Jr. had 33 points to pace the Jayhawks.
This contest included 18 different lead changes. At 12 different points, the score was tied. It’s the last time the two teams have faced off inside Allen Fieldhouse.
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 and Kentucky set for another big game between basketball bluebloods
