Ninth-ranked Kansas rallied to defeat No. 1 Arizona 82-78 on Monday night, extending its winning streak to eight games and moving back into the Big 12 title race.
Less than a month after dropping out of the AP Top 25, the Jayhawks have surged to 19-5 overall and 9-2 in conference play, now just one game behind Arizona, which fell to 23-1 and 10-1 in the league. Houston currently sits between the two teams in the standings.
Kansas overcame an early deficit that reached 11 points and didn’t take its first lead until midway through the second half. Flory Bidunga and Melvin Council Jr. each scored 23 points, with Bidunga adding 10 rebounds as four Jayhawks finished in double figures.
The Jayhawks were without leading scorer Darryn Peterson, who averages 20.5 points but missed the game with flu-like symptoms after sitting out practice the day before.
The loss snapped Arizona’s 23-game winning streak — previously the second-longest in Division I men’s basketball — and marked Kansas’ first victory over the nation’s top-ranked team at Allen Fieldhouse.
Bryson Tiller added 18 points and Jamari McDowell had 10 for Kansas. Arizona was led by Brayden Burries with 25 points, while Motiejus Krivas posted 14 points and 15 rebounds and Ivan Kharchenkov scored 13.
With the win, Kansas improved to 2-2 against top-10 opponents this season and continued to build momentum as the conference race heats up.