Kansas Basketball: Svi Mykhailiuk’s block epitome of Sunflower Showdown
Through the first five minutes of the second matchup of 2018 between Kansas Basketball and K-State basketball, it was clear how the game would end.
At just under the fourteen-minute mark in the first half of Monday night’s matchup between K-State and KU, a play transpired that though early, would serve as a perfect summation of the entire game.
The Wildcats found themselves trailing 15-4 early, struggling to find any kind of offensive rhythm. The Jayhawks on the other hand, started perfectly in sync. Lagerald Vick, Devonte Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk combined to hit the Hawks’ first five shots from the field, four of them from three-point range.
Out of nowhere, Wildcat sophomore wing Xavier Sneed, often the spark and energy behind Wildcat runs, stole the ball from Mykhailiuk out front.
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Through the Phog
Finally, it seemed, a break for the Wildcats. Sneed dashed to the other end, determined to reverse the early fortunes with a dunk and a shot of momentum.
A highlight-reel dunk would be just what the doctor ordered to get the Octagon of Doom up and rocking again. Bramlage Coliseum had been shell-shocked after the Jayhawks came out wielding a buzz saw.
Only, Mykhailiuk had other ideas.
With his style of play, it’s easy to forget that the Jayhawks’ senior wing is 6’8”. He needed every last one of those 80 inches as he matched stride with Sneed, flying in at the last second to tip the ball off its path to rim destruction.
Sneed, dumbfounded that such a play was even possible, continued through with his attempt to dunk the ball. That would prove costly as the ball’s trajectory found its way off the rim, careening off him as he crumpled out of bounds.
No dunk. No points. No momentum. No possession.
That’s how the rest of the game went for both squads. The Hawks kept Bruce Weber’s Wildcats at arm’s length all night. But the real story is how they did so.
KU hasn’t had trouble scoring points all year. In Bill Self’s tenure at Kansas, they rarely do. But this year looks to be one of Self’s most potent offenses throughout his run at Kansas. It’s on the other side of the ball where they’ve let teams stay in games, often far later than the Jayhawks should’ve put them to bed.
Not so against the Wildcats on Monday.
Self’s bevy of quick, pesky guards kept the K-State guards and wings at bay all night. If it wasn’t for Dean Wade’s big night, this wouldn’t have even been a contest. The junior forward notched his sixth 20+ point game in a row, and his seventh in ten Big XII matchups.
Barry Brown, the catalyst for K-State’s offense in Big XII play, was held to just nine points in 38 minutes.
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Interestingly enough, Self seemed content to let the K-State guards have their shots. It was apparent early that Wade was in for a big night. Self combatted that by going to a zone, hoping to clog the painted area where Wade thrives.
It’s rare to see Kansas basketball play a zone; Self is a known proponent of man-to-man defense.
Credit the Kansas guards for extending that zone and erasing any possibility of open jumpers on the perimeter for K-State. The Cats shot 32% from the field, and an anemic 22% from three.
As the final seconds ticked away, a game that was supposed to be down to the wire came to an anti-climactic close. A matchup that would have a long way in deciding the eventual Big XII champion felt more like an early-season tune-up game for the Jayhawks.
An all-too-familiar feeling crept in for both fanbases.
For Wildcat fans, another loss at the hands of their cross-state rival.
And for the Jayhawks?
The feeling of another Big XII championship.