Kansas 67 - Kansas State 61

Comments and Observations

Gotta hand it to the Wildcats for refusing to throw in the towel.  They played with more urgency and cared more about each possession down the stretch.  There was a questionable no-call on what was probably a charge by Julian Wright with a couple of minutes left, but unless this game was ultimately decided by two points, that just goes down as the way the breaks go.  There were charges (numerous) on KU that could have been called either way.

KU's defense was fairly strong throughout the game though KSU still shot fairly well, but rebounding was subpar in the second half.  KSU outboarded the Jayhawks 23-13 in the second half.  That sounds impossible given their small lineup, but it happened.  Just adds fuel to the argument that KSU played harder and wanted this game more.

Anyone else notice that Darrell Arthur was the most efficient player on the court today?  Remarkably quiet performance that deserves much more attention.

Four Factor Analysis

• eFG% - KU by 53-48%
• TURNOVERS - Slight edge to KU by 25-24%
• OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING - Basically even - KU by 37-35% - shocking, actually.
• FREETHROW RATE (FTM/FGA) - KU advantage 33-21%

CONCLUSION - Better shooting and more freethrow attempts for KU.  Interesting that every factor of the game was won by Kansas, yet the final margin was still close.  Adding the points in the column yields a 11-point advantage for KU, but the final margin was only six.  This means that KSU must have done better than KU at scoring off turnovers and/or converting offensive rebounds into points.