6 February 2024
MANHATTAN (KSNT) – K-State and KU went wire-to-wire in the 300th edition of the men’s basketball Sunflower Showdown.
In the end, K-State outlasted KU to improve to 96-204 in the all-time series. The Wildcats won 75-70.
The first half saw several shifts of momentum. K-State began the game with a three-pointer from Cam Carter which got the crowd into the game early.
However, Kansas opened up the biggest lead of the half, pulling away by five, with 3:44 left in the first half. Tang called timeout. K-State’s answer came in the form of a Tylor Perry 5-0 to tie the game, prompting Bill Self to call a timeout of his own.
KU led 32-30 at halftime, despite Hunter Dickinson and KJ Adams both picking up two fouls in the first 15 minutes of the game.
KU began the second half with a 7-0 run to open up its biggest lead yet, 39-30. Tang used his first timeout of the second half just 1:53 into the period. An 11-0 run from the ‘Cats tied it up at 43-43 minutes later.
The two teams traded buckets the rest of the way – with K-State turning the ball over in the final seconds with a tie game. After the full 40 minutes, it was tied 64-64, heading to overtime.
K-State was able to outlast the Jayhawks over the final five minutes, coming out with a 75-70 win over its rival.
Dickinson shined down low for No. 4 Kansas, finishing with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Dajuan Harris Jr. and Kevin McCullar Jr. each added 15 points.
Tylor Perry led the charge for K-State with 26 points on the night. Carter added 19 points to go with 11 rebounds.
With the win, K-State improves to 15-8, 5-5 on the season. With the loss, Kansas’ record moves to 18-5, 6-4.