FORT WORTH, Texas — Kansas men's basketball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
Senior Remy Martin scored 20 points (his KU career high) with seven rebounds and four assists and Ochai Agbaji added 15 points and eight boards as the Jayhawks, the No. 1-seeded team in the Midwest Regional, defeated short-handed No. 9 seed Creighton of the Big East Conference, 79-72, on Saturday afternoon at Dickies Arena.
Jalen Wilson contributed 14 points with 14 rebounds for the Jayhawks, who lost in the second round to USC last year and Auburn in 2018-19. There was no NCAA Tournament in 2019-20. KU reached the Final Four in 2018.
Arthur Kaluma scored a career-high 24 points for Creighton (23-12). The Bluejays had defeated San Diego State, 72-69 in overtime, in the first round Thursday. They lost starting big man Ryan Kalkbrenner to a serious knee injury in that game, leaving a rotation of just six players for the KU game.
KU's victory Saturday, which followed Thursday's 83-56 opening win over Texas Southern, proved historic. The Jayhawks (30-6) have moved into a tie with Kentucky on college basketball's all-time victory list with 2,353 wins.
The Wildcats' season is over following a first-round loss to St. Peter's on Thursday. The Jayhawks' season continues Friday in Chicago. KU will meet either Providence or Richmond in the Round of 16 with the winner moving into the Elite Eight.
Creighton hit eight 3s the first half to KU's three as the Jayhawks led 39-38 at halftime. The Bluejays hit 12 3s for the game in 28 attempts.
Martin provided the bulk of KU's offense in scoring 16 points in 14 minutes the first half. Agbaji, who was 0-for-6 shooting and did not score against Creighton in KU's 73-72 victory over the Bluejays last season in Allen Fieldhouse, was 0 for 4 from the field and 2 for 2 from the line the first half. Wilson had eight points.
One of three Bluejays to play the entire 20 minutes of the first half, Kaluma had 13 points and eight rebounds. Ryan Hawkins, who played 20 minutes, hit three 3s and scored 11 points. Trey Alexander, who also went all 20 minutes, had seven assists and five points at the half. He had 15 points and nine assists for the game.
Alex O'Connell played 18 minutes and scored nine points in the half and had 16 for the game.
KU opened a 49-43 lead at the 16:31 mark of the second half. However after two Agbaji misses (he had hit a jumper at 18:31), Kaluma ripped down a lob and KU led, 49-45 at 15:19.
Creighton cut it to a one-point deficit, 51-50, on an O'Connell three at 13:02. That came after an offensive rebound by Kaluma, his 11th of the game at that point.
The Jayhawks used a 8-2 run to open a somewhat comfortable nine-point lead: 66-57 with 8:17 remaining. Agbaji and Coleman-Lands each hit a three and Wilson made two free throws in the surge.
Creighton cut the gap to 66-62 with 6:38 left. A Christian Braun layup (he had 13 points and eight boards for the game) increased the lead back to six at 68-62 with 5:27 left. But two Alexander free throw sliced the gap back to 68-64 at 5:06.
Braun made a corner 3 and KU led 71-64 at 4:24. Hawkins hit a basket and foul shot at 4:05 and KU led, 71-67.
A bucket by Agbaji made it 73-67 at 3:41, the final TV timeout.
But KU led only 73-72 with 1:41 left after Alexander hit a 3 and KeyShawn Feazell made an inside shot.
Creighton then committed a costly turnover as Agbaji swiped the ball and raced in for a dunk with 49.4 seconds left to give KU a 75-72 lead.
McCormack blocked an Alexander shot and Martin was fouled. He hit two free throws and KU led 77-72.
