#8 Kansas Continues Winning Ways Against #11 Iowa State

Kansas Freshman Kelly Oubre Jr.

Last night #8 Kansas defeated the 11th ranked team in the country, Iowa State.  The Jayhawks pulled off and impressive 89-76 win.

Led by a second half run, the Jayhawks showed off their true ability last night.  Sophomore guard Wayne Selden scored 20 points and led their second half charge.

The most impressive player for Kansas happened to be freshman Kelly Oubre Jr..  At the beginning of the season he was expected to be one of the top freshman in the country, but at times he was coming off the bench and was not producing anything.  Because of the struggles, Coach Bill Self challenged Oubre to develop more as a college player and brought him off of the bench until he was ready to play at a higher level.  This taught him a lot and also installed a motor to play inside Oubre.   Last night, this motor pushed him all over the court and he finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

So what has gotten into Kansas.  They have won their last 5 games against some of the nation's best teams.  One may say it's their change in style of play.  At the beginning of the season the Jayhawks were a team loaded with talent, but they looked confused on their court.  Their play seemed choppy.  Now, their play is smooth, passes are crisp and jumpshots are falling.  Kansas has started to play less selfish and more like a team.  Last night they finished with 22 assists, 7 over their season average of 15 APG.

As long as the ball movement and unselfishness continues, Kansas is ready to be a force come tournament time.  They are filled with experience in Wayne Selden and Perry Ellis (17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists last night) who will be able to lead young stars like Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre.  Standing at 19-3 right now the Jayhawks have 5 games left against ranked opponents.  This year they are 7-2 against ranked opponents, one of which was Kentucky.  The Jayhawks will have quite a few more tests before the tournament in order to prime them for crunch time in college basketball.  They have already improved so much this season, therefore nothing is holding them back from becoming a contender for the national title.