Kansas capped its week-long, three-game season-opening road trip with a come-from-behind victory over a longtime nemesis — fellow blueblood Kentucky — on Tuesday night at the Champions Classic in Indianapolis.
In facing their second ranked opponent of the season, the No. 7-ranked Jayhawks toppled the No. 20-ranked Wildcats, 65-62, in an arena with no fans — 20,000-seat Bankers Life Fieldhouse. KU lost to No. 1 Gonzaga on Thanksgiving Day and beat Saint Joseph's on Friday.
KU senior Marcus Garrett scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds, playing after coach Bill Self said on his pregame radio show that Garrett would be out of the game because of illness. Self, before the game, said Garrett tested negative twice for COVID-19.
Ochai Agbaji shrugged off a horrid shooting night (5 of 17), scoring five straight points (a three and dunk) that busted a 55-55 tie. Jalen Wilson erupted for 21 second half points and 23 for the game.
Agbaji, who scored 17 points, hit two free throws with 10 seconds left for a 65-62 KU lead. Davion Mintz missed a three-point attempt with 3 seconds left.
KU improved to 2-2 against Kentucky in the 10-year history of the Champions Classic. The Jayhawks also ran their record to 10-23 all-time against the Wildcats and 5-5 in the classic, which also includes Duke and Michigan State.
Mintz and Brandon Boston had 12 points for Kentucky (1-2). KU won despite hitting 29.9% of its shots to UK's 36.1.
Kentucky used an early 15-0 run to turn a 5-2 deficit into a 17-5 lead at 10:56. KU hit 2 of its first 17 shots and committed seven turnovers in digging that hole.
KU sliced a 13-point first-half deficit to five points after receiving a lift from redshirt freshman point guard Dajuan Harris, who after entering, helped KU slice a 28-15 gap to 32-27. Harris had two quick steals and two assists — one a pinpoint pass to Christian Braun for a slam dunk that made the score 32-26. However, Braun was called for a technical foul for barking at a Wildcats player after the slam and Kentucky hit two foul shots to up the lead back to eight. KU trailed by six at half.
KU trailed by nine early in the second half but used a 10-0 run to lead, 39-38, at 12:46.
KU expanded the lead to 44-40 following five straight points by Wilson, but UK had it tied at 44 with 7:48 left. It was tied at 53 with 3:25 left.
KU returns home to meet Washburn at 7 p.m. Thursday at Allen Fieldhouse.
Garrett on Tuesday was selected to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced on ESPN's SportsCenter. He also is on the NABC Player of the Year Watch List and the Naismith Player of the Year Trophy Watch List.
