Kansas basketball has yet to prove it can stay healthy for an extended stretch, or that it can consistently play well on the road, but it made a thunderous statement in Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday. The Jayhawks muscled the formerly undefeated Iowa State Cyclones, earning an 84-63 win over the No. 2-ranked squad in the country.
They generally perform better in their house, but this was not just any game. Bill Self saw what his guys could do against a legitimate national championship contender. And the results were eye-opening. Kansas' defense was the story of the night, as it limited Iowa State to meager 37 percent shooting from the field.
Forward Flory Bidunga accounted for four of the team's eight blocks while also recording two steals, 10 points and seven rebounds. Tre White notched a game-high 19 points and 10 boards, six of which were on the offensive glass. He has 59 points in his last three contests combined. Melvin Council Jr. added 15 points on efficient 6-of-13 shooting.
The Jayhawks, on the strength of those performances and excellent team defense, were able to survive an uneven showing by Darryn Peterson. The potential No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft scored 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting in 27 minutes. He has looked mortal offensively in his last two contests, but the freshman sensation is still enjoying an overall impressive start to what will be his only collegiate campaign.
If Peterson can get fully healthy and log a bigger workload, unranked Kansas could become genuinely threatening. Heck, the Jayhawks were mighty impressive even without their top talent playing his best. They dismantled Iowa State and will now welcome in an inconsistent Baylor squad. Self will trust his team to build momentum and confidence during this week in Lawrence, because the schedule will intensify even further at the end of the month.
During a stretch that runs from Jan. 31-Feb. 14, Kansas basketball (12-5) will battle No. 11 BYU, No. 15 Texas Tech, No. 1 Arizona and the Cyclones again. A win like this one could help this group tremendously going forward.
