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Kansas basketball returns to Allen Fieldhouse, earns 74-69 win against Cincinnati

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Kansas basketball returns to Allen Fieldhouse, earns 74-69 win against Cincinnati


LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball’s 2023-24 season continued Monday as the Jayhawks picked up a 74-69 win in Big 12 Conference play against the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Here are a few takeaways from No. 8 Kansas (16-3, 4-2 in Big 12) topping Cincinnati (13-6, 2-4 in Big 12):

Kansas continues to protect home court

Kansas has had its issues in road games this season during Big 12 play. Both of the Jayhawks’ conference losses leading into the game Monday came away from home. But with this latest win, Kansas remained undefeated at home — 10-0 overall inside Allen Fieldhouse, and 3-0 against Big 12 foes.

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The Jayhawks’ upcoming schedule will continue to feature its share of challenges, at home and on the road. It’ll be no easy task for them to continue to come out on the right side of these games as they did Monday. But as long as they can continue to protect home court, they’ll put themselves in position to be in the Big 12 regular season title race.

Kansas’ lack of scoring from its bench is putting more pressure on its starters

With players like graduate senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. and senior center Hunter Dickinson, it’s not a surprise that Kansas’ starting lineup is going to likely finish most games with many more points than its bench. Considering how much they spearhead the Jayhawks’ offense, and how many opportunities are going to go to the other starters before the opportunities arise for someone on the bench, that’s not much of a surprise. But a game like Monday’s, where the bench finished with only two points, shows how much pressure there is on the starters to deliver in that regard.

Freshman guard Elmarko Jackson and graduate senior guard Nicolas Timberlake are two players who come off of the bench who have the potential to score the ball. There are going to be games where Kansas needs Timberlake’s 3-point shooting ability. But games where those two have actually done that at a considerable rate have been few and far between.

“I think there’s some concern,” Kansas coach Bill Self said about the lack of bench scoring against Cincinnati. “The two bench points came with 13 seconds left on free throws. So, yeah, so they basically out-scored us 32-0 from the bench. So, yeah, I don’t know if that’s ever been heard of and a team wins.”

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Self alluded to the way Cincinnati plays being a style that allows for more bench scoring opportunities.

Johnny Furphy sets new career high for points

Freshman guard Johnny Furphy has been excellent as a starter in recent weeks for Kansas, and that held true Monday against Cincinnati. Furphy set a new career high of 23 points while shooting 7-for-8 from the field, 3-for-4 from behind the arc and 6-for-9 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed 11 rebounds as he collected his first career double-double.

With stars like McCullar and Dickinson, who both finished in double figures scoring Monday, the Jayhawks were always going to be a team that could contend for a Big 12 title. Furphy’s emergence makes Kansas’ path a lot easier. It also allows Jackson to develop more without the pressure of having to deliver starter minutes.

“He’s settled into the role and he’s gotten us off to a good start all three games,” Self said about Furphy’s recent play. “I mean, that’s him. I don’t know anybody else that’s gotten us off to a good start. And, yeah, he played great. I mean, offensively he was terrific and he was great in transition, he can really run.”

Self also praised Furphy’s rebounding, while alluding to a need for some of Furphy’s teammates to be better in that area.

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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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