Mykhailiuk's 17 lead No. 4 Kansas past No. 7 Kentucky 65-61 | Zagsblog
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Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
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Friday / March 29.
  • Mykhailiuk’s 17 lead No. 4 Kansas past No. 7 Kentucky 65-61

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    CHICAGO (AP) — Svi Mykhailiuk scored 17 points, and Devonte Graham hit the clinching free throws to give No. 4 Kansas a 65-61 victory over No. 7 Kentucky on Tuesday night that put coach Bill Self in a tie for second with Roy Williams on the Jayhawks’ all-time wins list.

    In a game that matched the two winningest Division I programs, the Jayhawks (2-0) prevailed after the two teams spent most of the second half trading baskets and leads.

    Malik Newman had a key rebound in the closing seconds and hit two foul shots to help Kansas knock off the Wildcats (2-1). The down-to-wire game capped a powerhouse Champions Classic doubleheader that started with No. 1 Duke beating No. 2 Michigan State 88-81.

    Mykhailiuk hit three 3-pointers. Udoka Azubuike scored 13. Newman scored 12 and Graham had 11, helping Self pick up his 418th win at Kansas to tie Williams for second behind Phog Allen (519).

    Kevin Knox scored 20 and nailed three 3s for Kentucky (2-1). Hamidou Diallo added 14 points. But the Wildcats came up short after rallying to beat Utah Valley and hanging on for a four-point win against Vermont.

    Kentucky was leading 57-55 when Nick Richards scored on a tip-in andGraham hit a free throw. Newman then hit a 3 to bump the Jayhawks’ lead to 61-57 with just over two minutes left. It was 61-59 when Kentucky’s PJ Washington blocked a 3 by Mykhailiuk as the shot clock went off with 33 seconds left, giving the Wildcats a chance to tie or take the lead. But Knox missed a jumper along the baseline.

    Newman grabbed the rebound for Kansas and hit two free throws with 17 seconds left to make it 63-59.

    Kentucky’s Sacha Killeya-Jones scored on a put-back with nine seconds left. But Graham made two foul shots with eight seconds remaining to close things out.

    PRESTON OUT

    Kansas held Billy Preston out of the game because he was involved in a single-car accident, another round of trouble for the freshman forward. Benched for the opener against Tennessee State because he missed both curfew and class, he found out just before the pregame meal that he wasn’t playing against Kentucky, either. Coach Bill Self said in a statement that Preston was involved in a “single-vehicle incident” on campus on Saturday. He said no one was hurt, but Preston’s car was damaged. Self said the administration “determined that we needed a clearer financial picture specific to the vehicle” and that the 6-foot-10 Preston will remain out “until the review is complete.”

    BIG PICTURE

    Kentucky: Though they’ve been shaky so far, the Wildcats hung in against another powerhouse.

    Kansas: The Jayhawks will take the win, though they’ll need to shoot better than this. They were 35.3 percent from the field and 8 of 28 on 3-pointers.

    UP NEXT

    Kentucky: The schedule eases a bit for Kentucky, with a home game against East Tennessee State on Friday.

    Kansas: The Jayhawks meet South Dakota State to start a rather light stretch in the schedule on Friday. They close out the month against Texas Southern, Oakland and Toledo before facing Syracuse on Dec. 2.

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    Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.

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