When it was announced that starting point guard Devon Dotson would miss tonight's game, it added some element of uncertainty to what would normally look like a fairly easy matchup. It wasn't a blowout, and the offense continued to struggle at times, but Dotson's absence wasn't enough to keep KU from picking up another conference road win, taking this contest 66-52.
The Jayhawks had a hard time making any type of statement early. Isaiah Moss got off to a hot start, which was good to see, but Oklahoma seemingly had an answer every time it looked like KU might be able to put together a run. Azubuike had a few first half buckets, but once again KU had a hard time getting him the ball in position to score. And once again, they had an equally hard time finding a way to use OU's focus on the big man against them.
KU held just a one point advantage at the half, up 28-27.
In the second half, more shots started to fall for the Jayhawks as they kept the clamps on the Sooners. KU slowly but steadily pulled away through the half, as Oklahoma simply couldn't find ways to score. The final score isn't quite indicative of how generally close this game was, but Kansas left little doubt as to who was the superior team.
Oklahoma shot just 28% from three, but far more impressive from a Kansas perspective is the Sooners shooting just 11-33 (33%) from inside the arc. For the first time in his KU career, Moss led the team in scoring with 20, hitting six of 11 from deep. Azubuike went for 16 with 14 boards and three blocks, and even went a perfect two for two at the free throw line. Garrett was the only other Jayhawk in double figures with 15, to go with five boards and five assists as he took over as sort of a hybrid point wing in Dotson's absence.
Kansas faces another road contest this weekend, taking on Shaka Smart's Longhorns Saturday. Texas is 1-2 in league play and lost at home to this same Oklahoma team last weekend.