LUBBOCK, Texas – A 17-point outing from sophomore guard Devon Dotson paired with senior Udoka Azubuike’s 15th double-double of the season was just enough to push No. 1 Kansas past Texas Tech, 66-62, in the regular-season finale Saturday afternoon inside United Supermarkets Arena. The win, KU’s 16th-straight, clinched the outright Big 12 regular-season championship and gave the Jayhawks a program and conference record 17 league wins.
Kansas moved to 28-3 on the year and concluded its Big 12 slate at 17-1. Texas Tech fell to 18-13 in its 2019-20 campaign and to 9-9 in the league.
MOMENT OF THE GAME
With the score tied at 57-57 and less than two minutes remaining in the game, KU senior Udoka Azubuike pulled down a key offensive rebound, his 10th board of the day, and dunked home his 14th and 15th points to put his team on top. Just seconds later, freshman Christian Braun poked the ball loose from TTU’s Chris Clarke and took it to the other end for two more and gave the Jayhawks a four-point cushion as the game entered the final 90 seconds. The Red Raiders were unable to cut their deficit to less than three points the rest of the way, as the Jayhawks’ free throw shooting was enough to salt away the KU win.
STAT OF THE GAME
17 – The Jayhawks’ closed out one of the program’s most successful seasons in league play, finishing its 2020 regular-season Big 12 slate with a 17-1 record. The 17 league victories are the most ever by a Jayhawk team. KU also completed the league schedule without a loss on the road, marking the first time since the 2001-02 Jayhawk squad that a KU team finished league play undefeated on the road.
NOTES (Full Notes)
- Wth the win, the Jayhawks clinched their 15th outright Big 12 regular-season championship. Including shared titles, KU has now won 19 of the 24 Big 12 regular-season championships in the league’s history.
- The win gave the 2019-20 Jayhawks a tie for the fifth-longest winning streak in the Self era (16 games), and the third-longest active winning streak in the nation.
- It also gave Kansas its 10th-straight road win
- Over the final 7:27 of the first half, KU outscored the Red Raiders 12-2 and limiting TTU to 1-of-10 shooting from the field in that span.
- “Rebounding by committee” as four players each pulled down five rebounds in the first half: Garrett, Dotson, Agbaji and Azubuike, to total 20 of the team’s 28 boards.
- There were nine lead changes and nine times the game was tied, truly making it a back-and-forth affair.
- Senior Udoka Azubuike hit double-digit scoring for the 23rd time this season when he recorded his first bucket at the 12:50 mark of the second half.
- Azubuike finished the game with 15 points and 11 rebounds for his 15th double-double this season. He now has 22 DDs in his KU career.
- Sophomore guard Devon Dotson scored 10+ points for the 29th time this season and 53rd in his two-year Kansas career. The sophomore point guard from Charlotte, North Carolina finished the game with a team-leading 17 points.
QUOTE OF THE GAME (Full Quotes)
“It was a great win … I thought that we were good, and certainly made plays down the stretch. Ochai’s three down the stretch, Marcus’ unbelievable play at the end of the shot clock and then, of course, Christian’s play in transition … It was a great win and I’m certainly proud of our kids.”
– Bill Self
UP NEXT
Kansas will enter the 2020 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, March 11-14, at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, as the No. 1 seed. KU will open play in the event’s quarterfinals on Thursday, March 12, at 1:30 p.m. (CT) and will play either the No. 8 or 9 seed on ESPN or ESPN2.
Kansas is 76-28 all-time in postseason conference tournaments, including a 46-12 record in the Big 12 Championship. The Jayhawks have won 15 league tourney titles with 11 of those in the Big 12 era and its last in 2018. Kansas is 20-3 in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinals.
