No Team is Safe: Kansas narrowly escapes winless North Dakota State
The No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks outlasted the North Dakota State Bison today in an out-of-conference matchup. Kansas, who was favored by 25 points, carried a mere two-point lead into the half. North Dakota State, who has yet to record their first win, finished with a season-high 61 points. Kansas saw clutch plays by Tyon Grant-Foster on both ends of the court, sealing the Jayhawks' 65-61 victory.
Bill Self, Head Coach of the Kansas Jayhawks, spoke highly of Grant-Foster in a post-game interview, "as he continues to play better defense, he’ll play more. And certainly his offense will come because he is a very talented offensive player.”
In fairness, North Dakota State had played three quality opponents (Nevada, Nebraska, and No. 9 Creighton) before meeting Kansas today. Nonetheless, the Jayhawks held the advantage at every position on the court in this matchup, and the 25-point favor they were given at the books was well-warranted.
While Kansas' only loss is to the top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs, they had another close call against the No. 20 Kentucky Wildcats last week in a 65-62 victory. Coach Self will continue to look to junior guard Ochai Agbaji and freshman forward Jalen Wilson for offensive production, and could have a big spark on defense in Grant-Foster.
“I love blocking shots,” said the excited Grant-Foster, “I was just waiting on my opportunity, and I showed [I can play] today.”
In a year that has been far from ordinary, college basketball has followed suit with mayhem and unpredictability. The college basketball world has seen multiple close calls and even some big upsets already. The unpredictability will only continue this season, as games are being rescheduled and players are missing games in quarantine.
For today, the Jayhawks are safe, but it really feels like this could be anyone's year. We have seen No. 3 Villanova beaten by unranked Virginia Tech, No. 1 Gonzaga taken to overtime, and now two top-10 close calls in the past 24 hours. The college basketball season provides guaranteed madness in March, but at this rate, I predict madness all year long.