NEW YORK — In a battle of the blues, Kansas and Kentucky fans erupted in cheers, booing and heckling from start to finish at the State Farm Champions Classic double-header where UK beat No. 12 Kansas 75-65 in New York’s Madison Square Garden.
This was the Cats’ first matchup with Kansas since the 2006-07 season when they lost under former head coach Tubby Smith.
After nearly two scoreless minutes, the Cats were finally able to make the first bucket, a layup from sophomore Terrence Jones, who ended the game with 15 points and three blocks.
“Those guys have been exposed to some things that a lot of guys their age haven’t been exposed to,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said. “They’re beyond their years.”
UK trailed early in the first half, down 7-2 with 16:14 remaining.
“We don’t believe we have to truly play together yet,” head coach John Calipari said. “It’s not talent that wins, it’s good teams that win.”
Kansas committed some early fouls in the first half (five in the first five minutes) and allowed UK to start climbing back within striking range.
After a technical foul, UK began to close the gap being down 10-7 around the 13-and-a-half minute mark, where sophomore Doron Lamb made both free throws.
UK then took the lead with an 8-0 run leading to freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scoring a fast break layup to put UK up 11-10 with about 11:30 to play in the half.
That lead didn’t last long, though, as the Jayhawks continued to make plays offensively and were successful shooting behind the arc.
The Cats continued to shoot throughout the first half, but the rim wasn’t as generous as it was for Kansas.
But a steal forced by Jones along with a dunk at the other end of the fast break served as a momentum changer for the Cats as he closed the gap again, putting them down by three with around 6:30 to play.
UK trailed throughout the first half but was able to hang with the Jayhawks.
The Cats and Kansas left the first half tied 28-28 with Jones leading the Cats in scoring with nine points, three rebounds and one assist.
UK almost looked like a different team in the second half, jumping to an 11-0 run to lead the Jayhawks 39-28.
“We’ve got a lot of scorers on this team,” Lamb said. “A lot of weapons on this team.”
The Cats contested everything Kansas had to offer offensively, pressing its defense to force turnovers and blocking shots into the stands.
It was all UK from there. The Cats and the Jayhawks essentially switched positions after the first half, and UK remained in control of the game in the last 20 minutes.
After numerous Kansas attempts to close the lead and get ahead, no lead changes occurred in the half as the Cats closed out the game.
“They had a will to win. That’s what I wanted to see,” Calipari said. “That’s the hardest thing to teach in what we do: a will to win.”
UK continues with another road game against Penn State at noon Saturday in Uncasville, Conn.