Kansas No. 1 and done
MANHATTAN, Kan. — So this is the No. 1 team in the country?
Yes, but probably only for one week. After watching Jacob Pullen and unranked Kansas State outplay his Jayhawks from start to finish in an 84-68 spanking Monday night, Kansas coach Bill Self was ready to concede a lot more than just the top ranking.
“We may fall out of the polls next week,” Self said. “I don’t know if anybody really truly deserves it. But that wasn’t a very good basketball team playing tonight.”
Pullen, Kansas State’s 6-foot senior guard who already ranks in the top five in 17 school categories, had the game of his life, going 5 for 6 from behind the 3-point arc and 15 for 19 from the free throw line and scoring a career-high 38 points.
He personally made a mockery of the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press poll that had been handed the Jayhawks (24-2, 9-2 Big 12) just hours earlier.
“If you look at the positive side, we held them to 46 points if Jacob didn’t play,” Self said with a weak smile.
It’s the second year in a row the Wildcats have tripped up a team that had just ascended to No. 1.
In January 2010, Texas had just been declared No. 1 when the Longhorns ventured into Manhattan on a chilly Monday night and got beat 71-62.
This was the fourth time in school history Kansas State beat a No. 1 team, their third time to victimize Kansas. As the final buzzer sounded in Kansas State’s third victory in their last 45 meetings with Kansas, hundreds of fans stormed the court.
“As the game went on, I think the crowd started believing just like our players,” said Kansas State coach Frank Martin.
Pullen’s total was just one point shy of the 39 that Elvin Hayes scored for Houston against No. 1 UCLA in 1968, which Kansas State research indicated is the most ever scored in a victory over a top-ranked team.
“Let’s just call it what it is. That was a beatdown,” Self said. “That was a beatdown. In my opinion, I thought they controlled the game from early on.”
No. 17 Syracuse 63, WVU 52
At Syracuse, N.Y. — Brandon Triche had 20 points, Kris Joseph added 16 and No. 17 Syracuse rallied late to beat West Virginia 63-52 to snap a three-game home losing streak.
The Orange (21-6, 8-6 Big East) hadn’t lost four in a row at home since 1962-63, four years before coach Jim Boeheim enrolled. Syracuse has won 12 of the last 13 in the series with the WVU (16-9, 7-6), who dropped out of the Top 25 earlier Monday.
