Kansas erased an 11-point second-half deficit and handed No. 1 Arizona its first loss of the season Monday night, 82-78, at Allen Fieldhouse. Flory Bidunga finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks to lead the Jayhawks past the previously unbeaten Wildcats, ending the second-longest winning streak in Division I men’s basketball.
And they did it without star freshman Darryn Peterson, who was scratched just 30 minutes before tipoff due to flu-like symptoms.
Flory Bidunga, Melvin Council Jr. Power Kansas Past No. 1 Arizona
Bill Self has built a reputation on Big Monday dominance. The Hall of Famer is now 39-0 in Big Monday home games, and this was perhaps the most impressive addition to that streak. Arizona led 45-42 at halftime and pushed the margin to 11 in the second half before Kansas found another gear.
Bidunga sparked the rally with a personal 7-point run that gave Kansas its first lead with 9:32 remaining. The sophomore center shot 8-for-11 from the field and controlled the paint against an Arizona frontcourt anchored by Motiejus Krivas, who had 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 blocks in the loss.
Melvin Council Jr. matched Bidunga’s 23 points and went 10-for-11 from the free-throw line, including 3-of-4 in the final minute to seal it. Bryson Tiller added 18 points and 8 rebounds, stepping up in Peterson’s absence just as he did last month against BYU when the freshman star missed significant time with cramping.
Arizona closed within one with 34 seconds left, but Council Jr. and Tre White combined to go 5-of-6 from the line down the stretch. Kansas improved to 19-5 overall and 9-2 in Big 12 play, now just 1 game behind Arizona for first place in the conference standings.
Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd refused to let Peterson’s absence become the story. He told reporters that Kansas deserved full credit for beating the No. 1 team at home.
Brayden Burries led Arizona with 25 points, hitting 4 three-pointers and providing the Wildcats’ most consistent offensive production. But Arizona went cold at the wrong time, missing 13 of 14 shots during a critical 9-minute stretch that let Kansas seize control.
The loss ended Arizona’s program-record 23-game winning streak, which tied Baylor’s 2019-20 run for the longest in Big 12 history. Miami (Ohio) now stands alone as the nation’s only undefeated team at 24-0.
Arizona Remains Unanimous No. 1 in AP Poll Despite First Loss
Despite the loss, Arizona remained the unanimous No. 1 in Monday’s AP Top 25 for a ninth consecutive week, receiving all 59 first-place votes. The poll was released hours before tipoff in Lawrence, freezing the Wildcats atop the rankings regardless of the outcome.
The bigger story in this week’s poll was the carnage among top-five teams on the road. From November through January, AP top-five teams went 26-4 away from home. In February, they’re 0-3.
UConn saw its 18-game winning streak snapped at St. John’s, Illinois fell in overtime at Michigan State, and Duke lost on a buzzer-beater at North Carolina. Only the Blue Devils, among the top-five teams that lost road games, remained in the top five after the dust settled.
Houston jumped 5 spots to No. 3, while Iowa State moved up to No. 5. UConn dropped 3 spots to No. 6, and Illinois fell 3 to No. 8. Nebraska, Kansas, and Michigan State round out the top 10. Kentucky returned to the rankings at No. 25 for the first time since early December after beating Tennessee.
Kansas has now won 8 straight games after falling out of the AP Top 25 entirely less than a month ago. The Jayhawks face Iowa State on Saturday, another chance to make up ground in the Big 12 race. Arizona hosts Texas Tech the same day, the first of several ranked opponents remaining on the Wildcats’ regular-season schedule.
The Wildcats face a challenging closing stretch that includes games against Houston, BYU, and a rematch with Kansas in Tucson on Feb. 28. One loss doesn’t change what the Wildcats have built, but it does confirm what everyone suspected: this team can be beaten when opponents match their physicality and execute late.