Kansas
Quick recap: Kansas escapes UCF in overtime in Big 12 tournament
Kansas got up by as many as 13 in the second half, but UCF stormed back and took the Jayhawks to the wire in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday night. The Knights went on a 14-0 run in the middle stretches of to get back in the game, Jordan Ivy-Curry tied the game at 83-83 with 14 seconds left in regulation to send the game to an extra period.
Hunter Dickinson powered the Jayhawks through overtime, and AJ Storr– who put together a season-high 19 points– put Kansas up 92-87 with 1:18 to play with a transition layup. UCF battled over the last minute-plus, but couldn’t execute a tap-in at the buzzer to let the Jayhawks escape with a 98-94 win. Kansas will move on to play Arizona in the quarterfinals tomorrow.
After a slow first half, Dickinson scored 14 in the second half to finish with 23. Zeke Mayo was efficient throughout the night, finishing with 24 points on 6/11 shooting. Storr and KJ Adams also tallied double-figure scoring and were the bulk of Kansas’ offense.
First half
Zeke Mayo got out to a red-hot start, scoring the first eight points for Kansas, including hitting two threes. A Mayo floated gave the Jayhawks an 8-0 lead just under three minutes into the game, forcing Johnny Dawkins to call a timeout. Darius Johnson responded with four straight out of the timeout, cutting Kansas’ lead in half heading to the under-16.
UCF’s offense got rolling, getting a couple of buckets in transition and threes from Nils Machowski and Keyshawn Hall. AJ Storr provided an impact off the bench to keep the Jayhawks ahead, getting downhill for two buckets and dropping off an assist to Hunter Dickinson. A putback basket from Flory Bidunga gave Kansas a 20-16 lead at the under-12 timeout.
Hall hunted his shot when he had a matchup advantage, essentially when KJ Adams wasn’t defending him. He got to the rim for a layup and free throws against Bidunga and Storr, tying the game at 22-22. Mayo found open space after relocating on a Dajuan Harris drive and knocked down his third three of the half.
Kansas got active on the offensive glass to hold a lead despite hitting a cold stretch from the floor. The Jayhawks went 1/8 but got a second-chance bucket from Bidunga. Hall continued to go after mismatches, scoring a basket with Harris as the primary defender to cut Kansas’ lead to 32-28 at the under-four timeout.
Adams subbed out, and Hall went right at Bidunga. He got to the line, making one free throw, then hit a three to make it a 34-32 game. Adams quickly subbed back in and instantly scored, and Hall did not score for the final 2:41
Storr hit a three to continue his strong first half, while Moustapha Thiam scored five for UCF. Kansas took a 40-37 lead into halftime in a pretty even half without major contributions from Dickinson.
Second half
Hall immediately tied the game with a three over Adams, but UCF then endured a cold spell as it started to turn it over. Dickinson picked up two steals which led to his offense getting going– knocking down a three as he scored seven straight.
The Jayhawks caught fire from three to open up their lead. Dickinson knocked down another three, followed by Mayo and Diggy Coit to make the score 58-48. Dickinson fired a cross-court pass to the corner to give Coit the opportunity at an open three.
Storr followed with two more threes, but UCF caught fire to keep the game close. The Knights went on an 11-3 run capped off by threes from Thiam and Deebo Coleman. Bill Self called a timeout with the Jayhawks leading 64-59 with 10:30 to play.
The Knights extended their run to 17-3 and 12 unanswered after Coleman and Tyler Hendricks hit threes. Self called another timeout after UCF took its first lead of the game, 65-64.
UCF took a 68-66 lead into the under-eight timeout after a dunk from Adams stopped the Knights’ run.
Kansas caught a four-point swing following a Darius Johnson three, taking the lead after Mayo knocked down two flagrant free throws and Dickinson hit a hook shot. The T-Mobile Center started to energize after Adams got loose for a transition dunk to put the Jayhawks up 74-71 with 5:40 to play.
UCF wouldn’t go away. Hall answered a Mayo three with one of his own to leave Kansas’ lead at 77-76 heading into the under-four timeout.
Adams induced a turnover on Hall on a lockdown defensive effort, and Mayo pushed Kansas’ lead to three after knocking down two free throws with just over two minutes left.
Johnson and Adams traded free throws, with Johnson fouling out with Kansas leading 83-80. Jordan Ivy-Curry hit a huge three to tie the game at 83-83 with 14 seconds to play.
Adams stepped on the baseline, and Ivy-Curry came up short at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
Overtime
Dickinson hit his third three of the game to open the overtime scoring for Kansas. Both teams were racking up the fouls as Harris fouled out.
Dickinson got on the glass for a putback dunk to put Kansas up 90-87. UCF missed a pair of threes, and Storr put the Jayhawks up five with 1:18 on a transition layup.
The Knights still would not go away, with Machowski hitting a three to cut the lead to two. Kansas turned it over to give UCF a chance to tie, but the Knights also couldn’t hold onto the ball, giving it back to the Jayhawks with 27.5 to play.
Storr nailed two clutch free throws, but then fouled out after surrendering an and-one to leave Kansas’ lead at 94-93 with 18.2 to play.
Mayo missed a free throw for a chance to put Kansas up three, but Thiam missed a short jumper and Dickinson iced the game at the line.
Kansas
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.
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.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
Kansas
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.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
Kansas
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.
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.
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.
“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.
“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.
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.
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.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
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