The stay atop the polls will be a short one as the Kansas Jayhawks stepped onto the court on Monday night and never stood a chance. Jacob Pullen was a man on mission, the Kansas State Wildcats fought their way off the ropes and for all the talk of embracing no.1 the Jayhawks looked completely unprepared for the challenge.
On the day that Kansas was named to the top spot in both major polls for the first time all season, Kansas didn't play like a top ranked team from the start. Every time the Jayhawks had an opportunity to recover and pull within reach, the Jayhawks would fall apart all over again. At the end of the day Kansas never recovered and Kansas State beat the Jayhawks for just the 3rd time in the last 45 meetings.
Frank Martin, Jacob Pullen and Kansas State deserve a lot of credit. The Wildcats came out with intensity, they executed a gameplan and ultimately took the game straight at Kansas. The Jayhawks weren't prepared for it and Kansas just didn't dictate any part of the matchup. After one half it seemed like perhaps the Jayhawks could recover if they put a stop to the Pullen party but the rest of the Wildcats stepped up to the plate providing Kansas State fans with a glimpse of what everyone expected this year from the Wildcats.
This was that game that Kansas seems to have every year where the Jayhawks come out and look like a deer in headlights. Oklahoma State has done it a time or two to Bill Self and Kansas State did the same tonight . Senior guard Tyrel Reed might have been the only Jayhawk in uniform that came to play while Tyshawn Taylor and the Morris twins likely combined for more wasted possessions than points. Hats off to the Wildcats and Frank Martin. The Wildcats needed a statement win and this is it.
For Kansas fans, the consolation here might be that the last time we lost in Manhattan('07-'08)...well we know how that season ended and I think everyone would gladly take a loss if it meant a similar result. It's one game, a tough game and a major disappointment, but at the end of the day it's no different than having lost to any other team on the schedule from here on out. One loss at any point would put Kansas two behind Texas and the Longhorns aren't likely to lose enough for Kansas to sneak in to a seventh conference title.
Now the hope has to be that this has served as a wake up call and provides Self with the ammunition needed to get this team hungry again. At this point we're playing for a one seed in the tourney and perhaps this game provides a wakeup call for the final stretch of the regular season.