Kansas Basketball Makes History With 104-85 Win Over Kansas State on Senior Day

There were smiles all around the Kansas basketball bench on Saturday as the Jayhawks defeated their in-state rival Kansas State in dominating fashion on Senior Day by a final score of 104-85 in part two of this year’s Dillon Sunflower Showdown.

The 104 points scored by the Jayhawks are the most ever in the history of the 119-year series, dating back to their first matchup on Jan. 25, 1907. The previous high was 103, reached by the Jayhawks during a 103-68 win on Feb. 27, 2002, under former head coach Roy Williams.

Saturday was the second time in four years that the Jayhawks have reached the century mark versus the Wildcats after KU beat KSU 102-83 on Feb. 22, 2022. KU has scored 100 or more points against KSU a total of three times now, while the Wildcats have never reached triple-digit scoring.

The win also extended KU’s home winning streak over Kansas State to 20 years.

The last time Kansas State beat the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse was in 2006 under former head coach Jim Woolridge when the Wildcats upset KU by a score of 59-55. In fact, the Wildcats have only beaten KU in Allen Fieldhouse three times in the last 37 years (January 2006, January 1994, and January 1989).

No team owns more wins over another school than KU does over Kansas State. The 205 wins are easily the most in college basketball as no other school has reached 200 wins over a single opponent.

What’s next for Kansas?

With the win today, KU clinched a double-bye in the Big 12 Tournament which begins Tuesday inside T-Mobile Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Kansas Jayhawks will learn their seeding in the tournament by late Saturday night when Texas Tech and BYU wrap up their game. Should Texas Tech win, the Jayhawks would be the No. 4 seed facing the winner of the No. 5 versus No. 12/13 game. If BYU wins, KU will be the No. 3 seed facing off against the winner of No. 6 versus No. 11/14.

The Big 12 Tournament is a big opportunity for the Jayhawks as they aim to build momentum heading into the NCAA Tournament and solidify their ideal placement to help make a run to the Final Four.

The Jayhawks last won the Big 12 Tournament in 2022 with a 74-65 win over Texas Tech. Despite the four-year drought, the Jayhawks own the most Big 12 Tournament championships with 12 as of this year.