Kansas

Inside Kansas basketball’s latest road disappointment, a loss against Utah in Big 12 play

Published

9 months ago

February 16, 2025

Inside Kansas basketball’s latest road disappointment, a loss against Utah in Big 12 play

This isn’t where Kansas basketball is supposed to be.

The Jayhawks entered this season as one of the favorites to win not just a Big 12 Conference title, but a national championship. In fact, they were the preseason No. 1 team in the country. They entered the campaign with an enviable collection of returning veterans, and added quite a bit of talent to that group through the transfer portal and elsewhere.

But on Saturday, after a road game against Utah, No. 20 Kansas is having to grapple with a 74-67 defeat that could have been a win had it executed better late. It’s a loss that both forces the Jayhawks (17-8, 8-6 in Big 12) to deal with the reality that they are not just drifting away from relevance in the Big 12 regular season title race, but dropping down in where they could be seeded in both the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments. Utah (14-11, 6-8 in Big 12) became the latest team to force an analysis of where Kansas should stand in the national landscape.

“We were awful,” Kansas coach Bill Self said on the Varsity Network postgame show. “They played really well early, and then of course we didn’t have any answers for them defensively. And obviously it was, I mean — people that are listening probably watched it. So, we didn’t do very well. And then we had the game tied and they beat us on every toughness play down the stretch.”

To call this loss for Kansas a stunning moment would be an understatement, because it came in a stretch in which the Jayhawks were supposed to put together multiple victories due to an advantageous schedule. For all of the issues of consistency KU dealt with in recent weeks, there seemed to be a realization of what needed to happen next ahead of the current road trip. Whatever was said during the discussions that were had about what should happen next, the message clearly did not get across and the team never led in this game.

It seems unlikely at this point that Kansas will be ranked in the top 25 by the time the team plays again on Tuesday, on the road against BYU. It seems unlikely the Jayhawks will be favored to beat BYU either, which would have been a surprising thought some weeks ago. If soul-searching is the accurate way to describe what’s going on in the locker room at this point, that search better find its answers quickly.

On Saturday against Utah, Kansas couldn’t overcome forward KJ Adams fouling out late in a close game. The Jayhawks couldn’t overcome an uncommon offensive performance from center Hunter Dickinson, who still nearly led his team in scoring — collecting 12 points on 4-for-12 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 shooting from the free-throw line. It wasn’t just that guard Rylan Griffen had another quiet performance, it was that when KU went to its bench it didn’t get much beyond him either.

Kansas is 0-3 in its last three Big 12 road games, with each one, stretching to defeats at Kansas State and Baylor, coming by their own disappointing reasons. The Jayhawks were lackluster when it came to turning the ball over and allowing offensive rebounds. Kansas turned the ball over 12 times and allowed 22 points off of that, while scoring just seven points off of seven Utah turnovers, and allowed 14 second chance points off of 16 Utah offensive rebounds while scoring only nine points off of its own six offensive rebounds.

“I’ve obviously done a (expletive) job getting these guys to understand the way we have to play in order to give us a chance to win,” said Self, who described the team as frustrated and not being ready to play when the game began. “We left a lot of points on the board, especially in the first half, and then catching the ball in tight and not delivering. But even with all that being said, we still had a chance to win on the road and didn’t close. So, that is — that’s disappointing. And certainly we’re going to stay out here three more days and we need to — I’m tired of regrouping. We don’t need to regroup. What we need to do is basically be men as an entire organization and go out and do what our job is to do and accept responsibility for everybody — players, coaches, everybody — when we don’t do it well.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

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Kansas

Obituary for Fr. Henry R. Baxa at Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home

Published

23 hours ago

November 12, 2025

Press Room

Obituary for Fr. Henry R. Baxa at Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home

This obituary is published as a courtesy to the family of Fr. Henry Baxa Henry Richard Baxa was born on February 17, 1941, in Wayne, Kansas, to Henry and Blanche Oborny Baxa. Henry attended Wayne grade school, and then attended St. Francis Preparatory Seminary in Victoria, Kansas, where he graduated

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Kansas

Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph expands its veterans program with additional federal funding

Published

2 days ago

November 11, 2025

Press Room

Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph expands its veterans program with additional federal funding

KSHB 41 anchor/reporter JuYeon Kim covers agricultural issues and the fentanyl crisis. Share your story idea with JuYeon.

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Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph honored the sacrifice and dedication of veterans at a luncheon ceremony Monday morning.

Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph expands its veterans program

JuYeon Kim

CEO Karen Noel took a moment to pause and reflect on the success of the agency’s veterans program.

“We’re expanding our footprint, we’re expanding the number we serve,” said Noel. “They have tasked us to serve 430 families, which I envision will be well over 500 by the end of the year.”

The federal Supportive Services for Veteran Families program focuses on rapid re-housing and homeless prevention.

This year, Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph is taking on three more counties, expanding into Kansas. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs awarded them $4.4 million to double their outreach.

“The increase for our grant has just been tied to our ability to assist our veterans and be able to get them housed,” said Supportive Services Coordinator, Ti Vaughn.

The SSVF program has been a lifeline for veterans like Cheryl Frederick.

“I was almost this close from like being homeless,” said Frederick. “I went through the food pantry, so I’m not hungry anymore. I’m not homeless anymore. They are helping me with my rent, they are helping me with my finances — budgeting. So I’m just wholeheartedly like, so humble and grateful and thankful.”

Veterans are offered other wrap-around services like employment assistance and one-on-one counseling. Last year alone, Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph provided over $210,000 in rent and utility assistance.

“What do you need, what do you want, we’re getting it done. I need the address, phone number. I mean, she was on it like a military person,” said veteran Aaron Bean of a SSVF staff member. “I was about ready to lose my apartment. I had no heat.”

Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph’s SSVF program paid for Bean’s energy, water and rent.

“Just those three were huge,” said Bean.

In order to meet the demand, Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph is hiring 12 additional case workers. Half of those positions are already filled.

Any veteran hoping to serve other veterans are encouraged to apply.

“I think it’s awesome and amazing. The more they can help, the better off these veterans so we won’t lose them after serving our country,” said Frederick. “I feel so whole now because they have really blessed me.”

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Kansas

Beloved pre-med student, sorority member killed by hit-and-run driver while jogging

Published

3 days ago

November 9, 2025

Press Room

Beloved pre-med student, sorority member killed by hit-and-run driver while jogging

A “beloved” college student was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while jogging in Kansas and her body wasn’t discovered for nearly 10 hours, according to authorities.

Elsa McGrain, 20, was jogging near the Lawrence Regional Airport around 6 p.m. Thursday when she was hit by a truck, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

McGrain’s body was not found until 3:35 a.m. on Friday, after a passerby discovered her and called the police, cops said.

Elsa McGrain, 20, was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while jogging in Kansas. Douglas County Sheriff

After processing the scene, authorities determined she had died while running in the area, police added.

The hit-and-run driver was behind the wheel of an all-white pickup truck when the fatal crash occurred, according to photos released by the department.

McGrain, originally from Omaha, Nebraska, was a pre-med student at the University of Kansas slated to graduate in 2026, police said.

“Our hearts go out to Elsa’s family and friends in this incredibly tragic situation,” cops wrote in a statement.

She was also a member of the Chi Omega sorority, where she served on the executive board as house manager, according to a heartbreaking tribute posted by her sorority sisters on Instagram.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved sister, Elsa McGrain,” the sorority wrote in a statement.

Surveillance image of the vehicle involved in the hit and run of Elsa McGrain. — Authorities have released images of the vehicle of interest in the hit-and-run. Douglas County Sheriff

“Elsa was the kind of person everyone wanted to be: genuine, kind, and full of light. She noticed the quiet one in the room, checked in on you whether things were good or bad, and was the loyal friend we all strive to be,” the statement said.

“She had a gift for making everyone around her feel valued and loved.”

Authorities are still investigating the crash and have urged anyone who recognizes the vehicle of interest or was in the area of E. 1500 Road between 5:45 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Thursday to call detectives.

“Our deputies and detectives continue to work diligently to investigate this thoroughly, find the driver involved, and work appropriately through the justice system from there,” police wrote.

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