Kansas Ambushed by Big 'Dogs

Bill Self mighta had a hit that something untoward could happen.

After all, recent games in Kansas City's Sprint Center have not been kind to his Jayhawks.

Dudes lost two of their last three games there, one of which was to Oregon in the NCAA regional finals this past spring.

Maybe Self scheduled the Washington Huskies there to exorcise Sprint demons.

 

So much for that idea.

Maybe 22-point favorite Kansas was overconfident after easily handling Jim Boeheim's famed 2-3 zone only four days before to the tune of a 76-60 victory in the Hoophall Miami Invitational.

Then again, maybe new Washington coach Mike Hopkins -- coming to the Huskies after 22 years under Boeheim -- was taking notes off the video of that game, seeing how the Jayhawks attacked the 'Cuse.

He decided if anyone was gonna beat his crew, it'd have to be Lagerald Vick, betting he couldn't do enough.

Too bad highlight clips favor offensive plays, because Washington's version of the 2-3 zone was the story here. Yes, Matisse Thybault went lights-out, but the team that got smeared by Virginia Tech, in Madison Square Garden either shoulda been in Vegas or they just took a step forward.

Vick, meanwhile, registered 28 points, but it took him 23 shots to do it. The Huskies shut down the arc on Kansas, holding the likes of Devonté Graham to 3 points on 1-8 shooting.

As a result, the Jayhawks paid for not seeing this 74-65 nose-tweak coming.

What with Arizona and Florida encountering turbulence in the early going, the race to March Madness is looking more wide open than usual.

Fortunately for them, as opposed to some sports, they've got a bigger bracket to crack.