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

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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.

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“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.

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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 City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm

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Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Kansas City man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and possession of an illegal firearm.

According to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 22-year-old Antoine R. Gillum was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

His sentencing stems from a June 2024 incident in a metro gas station. KCPD investigators contacted Gillum inside and found that he had discarded a 9 mm pistol in an aisle between the merchandise. He also discarded a pill bottle containing multiple illegal substances: cocaine base, oxycodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone.

Officers searched the vehicle Gillum had arrived in and found approximately 32 grams of cocaine base.

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On May 6, 2025, Gillum pleaded guilty to one count each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Jennings. It’s a part of ‘Operation Take Back America,’ a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.

No further information has been released.



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Deadly 4-car crash kills 2 people, injures others in Kansas City

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Deadly 4-car crash kills 2 people, injures others in Kansas City


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A crash near a busy highway killed two people and injured two others.

Emergency crews responded to the crash at U.S. 71 Highway and Meyer Boulevard around 12:40 p.m. on Monday, March 2.

When crews arrived they determined four cars were involved in the crash.

Police are investigating how the crash happened.

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Homegrown Jayhawk stars ready to shine at Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City

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Homegrown Jayhawk stars ready to shine at Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City


LAWRENCE, Kan. (KCTV) – As Kansas women’s basketball prepares to enter the postseason at the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, they’ll be led by two Overland Park natives who have been two of the most electrifying players to watch in the country this year.

Junior guard S’Mya Nichols and freshman forward Jaliya Davis have played integral roles in the recent growth of the program. Both cite the desire to help grow the Jayhawks into something special as reasons for committing there.

“Where we wanted to take Kansas women’s basketball, I wanted to be a part of that growing evolution,” Nichols told KCTV5.

“We [my family] were also really big Jayhawk fans. We came to a lot of games,” Davis said about her childhood.

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The two were both 5-star recruits in high school, and their commitments marked historic recruiting victories for the KU women’s basketball program.

First came Nichols in the Class of 2023, picking KU over Tennessee and Oklahoma.

“I genuinely wanted to go to Kansas,” she said.

Then Davis became the highest-rated player to ever commit to KU as part of the Class of 2025.

“When you go back to S’Mya Nichols being a local, Kansas City, Overland Park product, a nationally respected player, Jaliya was really the next one that was very important for the Jayhawks to keep home,” said head coach Brandon Schneider.

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Now as a junior, Nichols has established herself as one of the most consistent scorers and physical guards in the nation.

But it’s the Shawnee Mission West’s alum’s leadership that defines her legacy in Lawrence.

“The team leader, the quarterback,” Coach Schneider described Nichols. “I think oftentimes the player that everybody looks up to off the court.”

“I mean it means everything. Knowing that I’m important to the team, and that they see me as that as well,” said Nichols with a smile.

Both Nichols and Davis were recruited by the Jayhawks for years, going all the way back to seventh grade.

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“Well, we offered her in middle school,’ Coach Schneider said with a laugh about Davis.

“Oh he put in a lot of work,” laughed Davis. “I mean, obviously, seventh grade, that’s a long time.”

It was that dedication from Coach Schneider that led her to choose the Jayhawks over Texas, South Carolina, Baylor, and Oklahoma – where he dad played ball.

“I think it really was the relationship we had and grew. He was always there, every single one of my games,” Davis said about Schneider.

After just one practice as teammates, Nichols voiced a big belief about Davis into existence – and it’s probably going to come true.

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The Jayhawks are the 11-seed in the Big 12 Tournament, and will face 14-seed UCF in the first round on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.(KCTV5)

“I saw her first practice, and I sent her a text, and I’m like ‘I think you can win Freshman of the Year’, and I still stand by that,”

Davis is averaging 21.0 points per game, and has been named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week for eight weeks in a row. That sets a power conference all-time record.

“I think it’s really cool. I mean obviously it’s a team effort, they’re always looking for me,” Davis said about her historic accomplishment.

“Just a phenomenal stretch of basketball for her, and so well deserving,” said Coach Schneider.

Now these two homegrown stars are at the forefront of a late-season push to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Right now, CBS Sports bracketology has them as a ‘First Four Out’ team.

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But a few wins in the Big 12 Tournament could certainly help seal their invite to the big dance.

“Obviously we’re not in the position that we were hoping to be in, but I think we can make the most out of it, and get to where we want to be,” Davis said about the opportunity at hand in the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.

The Overland Park kids are especially fired up about starting the postseason in their own backyard.

“I have a big support system. So I bet my family will take a big chunk of that area during that tournament,” Davis laughed.

“I remember being younger, and the College Basketball Experience is right next door. So I felt like at one moment that was the big stage, when I got to play my little AAU tournaments in there. And then all of a sudden I’m literally in T-Mobile Center on the actual big stage, so it’s pretty cool,” said Nichols.

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The Jayhawks are the 11-seed in the Big 12 Tournament, and will face 14-seed UCF in the first round on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.



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