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 After netting 33 points in an overtime win against Kentucky, Selden
failed to score in double figures over four consecutive games while
shooting 9-for-28 from the field.
On Monday, however, he snapped out of his funk, scoring 18 points
and hitting four 3-pointers as the No. 2 Jayhawks stomped Oklahoma
State 94-67 in Allen Fieldhouse.
The victory pushed Kansas (22-4, 10-3 Big 12) into a half-game lead
in the conference over West Virginia, which plays at Texas on
Tuesday.
"It felt good to see the ball go in," Selden said. "My teammates
keep telling me to do that, so I'm going to continue to shoot."
The Jayhawks still relied on scoring balance. Five other scorers,
including each of the starters, cracked double figures. Junior
forward Landen Lucas recorded the second double-double of his career
with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, leading a 45-27
advantage for Kansas on the glass.
Junior guard Frank Mason added 14 points and six assists for the
Jayhawks. Senior forward Perry Ellis had 15 points, junior guard
Brannen Greene 11 and sophomore guard Devonte' Graham 10. Kansas won
its sixth in a row despite digging a quick 8-0 deficit and trailing
by as many as nine in the first half.
"We came out sluggish," Selden said. "It's all about changing it,
and we were able to change it."
Actually, Kansas did so in both halves. A 13-0 run in the first half
contributed to a 47-34 halftime Jayhawks lead, which included a
3-point bomb by Greene at the buzzer.
Then in the second half, the Jayhawks used a string of 10 unanswered
points after the Cowboys closed within 62-56. Selden and Greene each
canned 3-pointers during that surge.
The Jayhawks were coming off an emotional win at Oklahoma two days
earlier in a battle of Big 12 leaders.
"I thought we played a little tired," Kansas coach Bill Self said.
"Our guys, I thought tonight they had an inner confidence, which is
good, and we'd be OK the whole game. But I don't think we had the
intensity level we had in Norman."
That was reflected in the eight turnovers the Jayhawks forced, a
number Self insisted should be better at home. Kansas still managed
to made 32 of 64 shots while recording the most points Oklahoma
State has surrendered on the season.
Senior guard Jeff Newberry, the only player to start every game for
Oklahoma State, led the Cowboys with 19 points. Sophomore guards
Jeffrey Carroll and Tavarius Shine added 13 and 11 points,
respectively, as Oklahoma State (12-14, 3-10) remained winless on
the road in Big 12 play.
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Cowboys sophomore guard Tyree Griffin landed awkwardly under the
hoop and twisted an ankle late in the first half, but he demanded
that Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford use him in the second half
with the team already short-handed. Griffin managed a career-best 12
assists.
"He's a guy you want in your fox hole. He's a tough little sucker,"
Ford said.
Oklahoma State was playing without guard Jawun Evans, a key
contributor in the first matchup with Kansas, which the Cowboys won
by 19 points.
"We're a little bit of the walking wounded right now. It's almost
beyond belief," Ford said. "We had some absolute warriors. These
guys were really banged up. They gave it a go, so I'm proud of that.
We had some fight to us at times, just not enough."
Selden canned two 3-pointers during the Jayhawks' 13-point
first-half run and hit a free throw for a four-point play with 2:36
remaining. Selden led the Jayhawks with nine first-half points.
Lucas added eight points and six rebounds, while Graham had eight
points.
NOTES: Kansas sophomore G Devonte' Graham was named Big 12 player of
the week on Monday. Graham was coming off a 27-point performance in
the Jayhawks' Feb. 13 win at Oklahoma, in which he also held the
Sooners' Buddy Hield to 5-of-15 shooting. ... The last team to sweep
a Big 12 home-and-home series against Kansas was Iowa State in 2000.
... The Jayhawks have the longest active home-court winning streak
in the country (40). ... Kansas coach Bill Self has a 15-8 record
against Oklahoma State, where he played. ... The Cowboys came in
with the best defensive field goal percentage (39.8) in the Big 12
and ranked 33rd nationally. ... Freshman Oklahoma State G Jawun
Evans, who averages 15.6 points in Big 12 play, missed his fourth
straight game with a strained right shoulder.
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