Senior center Udoka Azubuike came off the bench for the first time this season and recorded 17 points and 12 rebounds Monday night as No. 3 Kansas beat Texas 69-58 in a Big 12 Conference game.
Azubuike, who came in as the only Big 12 player averaging a double-double in conference play, did not start after a disagreement with coach Bill Self at the end of the Jayhawks' win Saturday over Texas Tech.
He entered the game before the first TV timeout and was energized throughout the Jayhawks' seventh straight victory as they remained a game behind No. 1 Baylor, a 73-67 winner at Kansas State, in the Big 12 chase.
The coaching win was the 699th for Self, 57, who is in his 27th overall season as a head coach and 17th at Kansas. He is on pace to become the second-youngest Division I coach to reach the 700-win plateau, behind Bob Knight. Self's record at Kansas is 492-109.
Kansas (19-3, 8-1 Big 12) trailed by two at halftime but led by two before going on an 8-0 run with four straight makes capped by a dunk from Azubuike with 8:30 remaining. The Longhorns went cold and finished with 37.7 percent shooting from the field.
Devon Dotson added 16 points for the Jayhawks, and Marcus Garrett chipped in 11 while adding five rebounds and four assists.
Matt Coleman III led Texas (14-8, 4-5) with 20 points. Jericho Sims added 17 points and nine rebounds.
Kansas gained a season of sweep of the Longhorns after trailing at halftime in each game. The Jayhawks have won 13 of their past 14 meetings with Texas.
The Longhorns, who average almost nine 3-point makes per game, missed their first eight attempts from beyond the arc but still grabbed a 33-31 halftime lead behind 11 points from Coleman. The junior guard distributed an assist to Andrew Jones, who nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the halftime edge.
Azubuike led Kansas with seven first-half points. The Jayhawks missed their first five 3-point attempts before Moss connected with 3:10 left in the half. Kansas finished the night just 2 of 12 from long range.
--Field Level Media
Texas | Kansas | |
Matt Coleman III 20 | Scoring | Udoka Azubuike 17 |
Donovan Williams 2 | Assists | Marcus Garrett 4 |
Jericho Sims 9 | Rebounds | Udoka Azubuike 12 |
Matt Coleman III 2 | Free Throws Made | Devon Dotson 5 |
Donovan Williams 2 | Steals | Marcus Garrett 4 |
Kai Jones 1 | Blocks | Udoka Azubuike 2 |