Cloudy skies with periods of rain later in the day. High 59F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..
Thunderstorms in the evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. Low 51F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Updated: February 9, 2026 @ 11:44 pm
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas climb picked up more steam Monday night as the No. 9 Jayhawks knocked off top-ranked Arizona 82-78.
Less than a month after falling out of The Associated Press Top 25, Kansas (19-5, 9-2 Big 12) has won eight in a row and clawed its way back into Big 12 title contention, trailing previously unbeaten Arizona (23-1, 10-1) by one game. Houston is currently in second, a half-game ahead of Kansas. The third-ranked Cougars face Utah on Tuesday night.
“We couldn’t lose this game,” senior guard Melvin Council Jr. said after knocking off Arizona. “We were just ready and prepared and we knew it was going to be a long game with a bunch of runs.”
Kansas trailed by as many as 11 points in the game and did not hold a lead until the clock read 9:32 in the second half. Four Jayhawks finished in double figures, led by Flory Bidunga and Council Jr, who scored 23 points apiece. Bidunga also grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Jayhawks played without freshman standout Darryn Peterson, who was experiencing flu-like symptoms and missed the game. Self revealed after the game that Peterson had missed practice on Sunday and didn’t know until about a half hour before the game that he would be unavailable. Despite missing 11 games, Peterson leads the Jayhawks in scoring, averaging 20.5 points.
“A lot of teams, this time of year, when you get to early February, they know where their ceiling is, and the great teams are operating pretty close to their ceiling, Kansas coach Bill Self said. “I don’t know where our ceiling is, and I know that we’re not close to it yet, though.”
The victory ended a 23-game winning streak for Arizona. It was the second-longest streak in Division I men’s basketball behind Miami (Ohio), which has won 24 straight.
With the win, Kansas improved to 2-2 against top-10 opponents this season. It was also the Jayhawks’ first win against the AP’s top-ranked team at Allen Fieldhouse.
“Kansas is a hell of a team,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said after the game. “They beat the No. 1 team in the country at home tonight. They did a hell of a job and their coach did a hell of a job.”
Four Jayhawks finished the game in double figures, with Bryson Tiller scoring 18 and Jamari McDowell adding 10.
Brayden Burries led all scorers with 25 points for Arizona. Teammate Motiejus Krivas recorded a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Ivan Kharchenkov scored 13.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Exclusive film screening in San Mateo Read moreA LITTLE FELLOW: THE LEGACY OF A.P.GIANNINI
Doug North Central said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.