Kansas - Austin Peay Recap, Final Score, Stats

Kansas has had some first round scares and embarrassments, but this definitely wasn't one of them. It was clear from the early going that only Kansas could stop Kansas from past Austin Peay in the first round. Fortunately, they were able to generally limit their silly mistakes and play a dominant game. In fact, the 105-77 victory marked the first time since 2007 that Kansas exceeded 100 points in a tournament game.

Early on, it looked like Jamari Traylor might end up being player of the game. The senior clearly had a combination of strength and motor that Austin Peay just couldn't match, amassing 8 rebounds and 2 blocks in the first half alone. Svi Mykhailiuk also continued his recent coming out party, burying several early threes and ending up with a team-high 23 points.

Early in the second half, it appeared that Kansas might let the Governors back in, committing several bad turnovers and allowing a few easy buckets. However, if you turned away from the TV too long, by the time you looked up, the lead was up to 25. Due to a combination of foul trouble and the size of the lead, some key players were actually able to get some rest today. At one point with almost ten minutes left, the backcourt was Svi, Brannen Greene, and LaGerald Vick. We even got to see Diallo at around the 7 minute mark. At around that point, the Governors appeared to run out of steam, but the starters were back in for Kansas and things got uglier for Austin Peay, as it became clear that the Jayhawks were going to power past the 100 point mark. Tyler Self and Evan Manning both got in before the two minute mark.

Perry Ellis needs just 7 more points to tie Kirk Hinrich for 10th on the all-time scoring list after a 21 point performance. Landen Lucas was also dominant, registering 16 points, 8 boards and a block. Traylor would finish with 4 blocks, and Selden, who was prone to a few mental lapses, rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13. Diallo was able to finish with 9 points in just 6 minutes played.

Next up for Kansas is the Connecticut Huskies, who used a blistering second half to beat Colorado just prior to the Kansas game. They'll meet Saturday at a time yet to be determined.