Field Level Media
Feb 24, 2018
Senior guards Devonte' Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk scored 26 and 21 points, respectively, as No. 8 Kansas edged No. 6 Texas Tech 74-72 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas.
With the win, the Jayhawks moved to 12-4 atop the Big 12 and clinched at least a share of their 14th consecutive conference title by opening a two-game lead over the Red Raiders.
The string of conference crowns is a Division I record, exceeding the 13 UCLA posted in the Pac-8/10 from 1967-79. Kansas (23-6) also secured a 61st all-time league title, also a Division I record.
Graham scored 18 of his points in the second half. He made buckets at the 1:32 and :31 marks after the Red Raiders, who never led, forged the only tie, 68-68, on a basket by freshman guard Zhaire Smith with 2:29 remaining.
Smith led Texas Tech (22-7, 10-6) with 20 points but the Red Raiders suffered their third straight defeat in spite of their highest rating all time in the polls. The loss snapped a 17-game winning streak for the Red Raiders at home, where they previously stood 16-0 this season.
Freshman guard Jarrett Culver added 18 points for Texas Tech, though its standout point guard, senior Keenan Evans, added just six points on 1-for-6 shooting and was again slowed by an ailing toe. Evans scored just one point in 13 first-half minutes.
The victory was the eighth straight for Kansas on the road against top 10 opponents, another Division I record.
Mykhailiuk scored 15 first-half points for the Jayhawks, who jumped to an 11-point lead but settled for a 41-37 margin at halftime. Kansas shot 59.3 percent for the half, including a 7-for-13 touch from 3-point range, including three makes by Mykhailiuk.
The Red Raiders closed the half with a 13-4 spurt. Smith scored 10 points, and Culver added eight.
Texas Tech senior guard Justin Gray suffered a concussion in the first minute of the half and did not return. Senior forward Zach Smith returned for the Red Raiders after missing the last 13 games with a broken foot.
--Field Level Media