Sun Devils burn Jayhawks, 80-76

Kansas led Arizona State for the first 37:37 of regulation (minus a few seconds at the beginning of the game at 0-0), and despite a 10-point first half lead, the game came down to the final possession.

A careless offensive foul on Lagerald Vick (and absolutely correct call by the officials) put the Jayhawks in quite a pickle with 47 seconds left and KU trailing by two. ASU would turn it over on a travelling violation with just 22 seconds to play, but KU’s ensuing possession was as sloppy as the one before it. A pass went through Dotson’s hands and into the backcourt, and ASU’s Rob Edwards iced the game at the free throw line to give the Sun Devils the 80-76 win.

Kansas, behind Dedric Lawson, dominated Arizona State throughout the first half, building up early leads of 13-6, 20-12, and 39-27. The Jayhawks would take a 39-31 lead into halftime, with Dedric Lawson putting up 18 points and 8 rebounds in the first frame.

Lawson would pick up his third foul with 16:38 to play in the second half, but even with him on the bench the Jayhawks were able to keep ASU at arm’s length for quite a while. Kansas still led by 7 at 74-67 with 4:31 to play. Arizona State would outscore the Jayhawks 13-2 through the end of the game, surprising a KU team that played well for the first 35+ minutes and stealing the win the from Jayhawks.

Dedric Lawson finished with 30 points on 12-15 shooting, with 14 rebounds. Lagerald Vick started 2-3 from behind the arc, but finished 3-11 (and 5-16 shooting overall). Quentin Grimes missed all 5 of his three-point attempts.

The second-best day of the year for K-State fans has finally arrived; KU loses its first basketball game of the season and falls to 10-1, and will NOT be the AP #1 team on Christmas Eve. Up next, KU will play a home game against Eastern Michigan next Saturday, December 29, at 1 PM.