Kansas Survives Cold Night to Defeat Providence 66-61
The first half of Kansas-Providence was a block party outside a brick warehouse. The second half was a bucket fight. And at the end, Kansas won 66-61 to keep the season alive and head to the Elite 8.
As they say, survive and advance. Style points don’t matter, and there were none to be had Friday night.
It takes real effort to be as bad from the field as the Friars were in the first half. Providence started 2/11 from the field. Then it was 4/26 from the field and 0/10 from 3. At halftime, the Friars were 7/35 and 1/13 from deep. While a lot of that was offensive struggle, Kansas’ defense was certainly a factor. The Jayhawks had seven blocks to Providence’s four field goals with five minutes to play in the half and consistently forced Providence into contested shots late in the shot clock.
On the other side, Remy Martin was the lone spark of the first half, and it happened immediately. Martin finished at the rim on his first possession, and then was left wide open for 3 the next. Another jumper on the next possession gave him seven points and KU an 11-3 lead. Martin finished the first half with 13 of Kansas’ 26 points.
Providence’s cold streak didn’t make it through halftime and the Friars used a 13-3 run to close KU’s lead to 39-37. Providence would then take its first lead of the game at 41-40. The game was tied at several points after another quick four points for Martin, and when the Jayhawks needed a basket the man to deliver it was Jalen Wilson. A strong drive to his right gave the Jayhawks a 46-44 lead, and then Wilson spun in the lane for an and-one to make it 50-48. That spurred a 7-0 KU run that ended with a Christian Braun to Ochai Agbaji alley-oop.
A Providence three kept it close, and then it became a free-throw contest where Martin went to the line three consecutive times, missing the first and making the rest (fouled on a three his first time) the first two times.
It was a game where Kansas got nearly nothing offensively from Agbaji (5 points on 2-8 from the field and 0-4 from 3), Braun (6 points on 2-6 shooting and 0-2 from 3), and McCormack (8 points on 2-5 shooting). Agbaji and Braun did contribute in other ways. Agbaji grabbed four rebounds, blocked four shots, and recorded two steals, while Braun grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out two assists.
Martin led the way for Kansas with 23 points, and Wilson recorded another double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Kansas won despite shooting 39% from the field and 14% from 3.
A trip to New Orleans and the Final Four is on the line Sunday when Kansas will face the winner of Iowa State and Miami. And Kansas will play as the new holder of the most NCAA wins all time, passing Kentucky with the win against Providence.
