MANHATTAN, Kan. _ Kansas claimed sole possession of first place in the Big 12 and also men's basketball victory No. 2,300 Saturday in the home of its in-state rival, Kansas State.
The historic victory did not come easy.
Devon Dotson scored 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting (8 of 8 from the free-throw line) and Isaiah Moss added eight as the No. 1-ranked Jayhawks rallied from a four-point second-half deficit in upending the Wildcats, 62-58, on Saturday in Bramlage Coliseum.
The Jayhawks (26-3, 15-1 Big 12) moved a game ahead of No. 2 Baylor with two conference games to play. The Bears fell to 25-3 and 14-2 in the league, losing, 75-72, at TCU on Saturday.
KU got the win despite a subpar offensive performance from Udoka Azubuike, who sprained his ankle early in the game and finished with six points and nine boards in 20 minutes.
Azubuike did not play the final 6:23.
"It was big he came back (to the game)," Kansas coach Bill Self said of Azubuike. "He showed some toughness coming back. I imagine he'll be fine. Big guys like that ... a turned ankle probably affects more than a guard.
"Although he wasn't effective, he came back and played. The way he laid on the ground, initially amputation may have a been viable course of action," Self said, smiling. "But he came back and at least gave us some minutes. Even though he wasn't effective we probably don't win the game if he doesn't at least give us some minutes."
KU can clinch a tie for the Big 12 title with a win against TCU on Wednesday in Allen Fieldhouse. "We're not looking to share. With them losing we're trying to take it outright," said freshman guard Christian Braun, who scored six points and hit a big 3 late. "We've got two more left. We're going to go get them."
KU joined Kentucky as the only program to record 2,300 victories. KU improved to 2,300-862 all time; Kentucky is 2,318-711.
Cartier Diarra scored 15 points for the Wildcats (9-20, 2-14), who dropped their ninth consecutive game. Xavier Sneed had 13 points while Makol Mawien had 13 points and five boards.
The Jayhawks won their 14th straight game since a loss to Baylor on Jan. 11 in Allen Fieldhouse.
KU, which led by as many as nine the first half and led 35-34 at halftime, found the score tied, 48-48, with 7:23 left.
At that point Dotson hit two free throws and Braun made a 3. Dotson followed with a bucket and foul shot, and KU led 56-48 with 4:03 left.
Moss missed a three that would have given KU an 11-point lead. Diarra hit a 3-point shot.
McCormack missed and Diarra scored, cutting KU's lead to 56-50 at 2:20. McCormack scored and it was 58-50 KU at 1:50.
Diarra then was fouled by McCormack, who was playing down the stretch for Azubuike, and hit two free throws. Garrett scored and KU's lead was back to eight at 60-52 with 1:17 left.
Then Mawien stepped to the line and hit two free throws with 1:08 left.
KU's McCormack hit a deep corner shot at :38, but it was ruled that the shot clock had run out so K-State had the ball down six at 38.6 seconds. DaJuan Gordon cut the KU lead to three, canning a 3 from the corner with 25.9 seconds left.
Moss was fouled, hit two free throws and KU led 62-57 with 24.7 seconds left. K-State on its next possession missed three deep shots. A foul was called on Dotson with 6 seconds left. Mawien hit one free throw, then there was a lane violation and it was 62-58 KU.
Sneed scored nine points, Diarra eight and Mike McGuirl seven as K-State trailed by just one at halftime.
Dotson was almost all of KU's offense in the half. He had 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting. His teammates made 4 of 10 shots in the entire half. Azubuike played just 10 minutes, leaving because of the sprained right ankle with 15:45 left and KU up, 5-4.
He walked off the court to the locker room under his own power. The 7-footer returned to the court area and began jogging in the south end zone with 10 minutes left in the half and KU up 19-10. He returned to the game at 9:01 and KU up, 19-12.
That's about the time K-State rallied. K-State used a 9-2 run to turn a 19-10 deficit into a 21-19 deficit at 7:37. Four different Wildcats scored in that run, including Mawien, who had four points and two boards the first half to Azubuike's four points and four boards.
Dotson scored nine straight points in a 9-3 run that gave KU a 30-22 lead at 4:49.
McGuirl hit back to back 3s and Sloan a 3 and KU led, 33-31, at 1:51. Moss hit two free throws at 1:05 to give KU a 35-31 lead. However, Sneed made 3 of 4 free throws to close the half and KU, which had 11 turnovers the first half, led, 35-34, at the break.
KU hit 3 of 5 3s the first half to K-State's 6 of 12. K-State was 6 of 11 from the line to KU's 14 of 18.
The victory Saturday was KU coach Bill Self's 499th (against 109 losses) in 17 seasons at KU. He can gain win No. 500 with a victory over TCU on Wednesday. Tipoff for the Senior Night for Azubuike and Moss will be 7 p.m.
KU improved to 3-1 against K-State in Manhattan as the No. 1 team in the country. KU as the country's top-ranked team won at K-State in 1992-93 and 1996-97 and lost to the Wildcats in 2010-11. K-State was unranked each of those years.
