Connecticut Huskies @ (25) Louisville Cardinals
Monday February 6, 2012 – 7:00 PM ET
KFC YUM! Center, Louisville, Kentucky
College Basketball Betting Line: Louisville Cardinals

While the Cardinals have responded strong, bouncing back with those three wins, the inconsistent Huskies have done exactly the opposite. With NBA first round pick Kemba Walker no longer around to lead the offense, Connecticut has struggled with four straight losses leading in to Saturday’s game against Seton Hall.

Connecticut Louisville Betting Preview: Connecticut

The sports betting underdogs are averaging just 68.6 points per game this season, 116th in the country, and declines from 67 to 57, to 48, and then to 44 over those four straight losses were an example of how the team has performed over the past couple of weeks. Sophomore Jeremy Lamb leads the team with 17.7 points per game, and fellow sophomore Shabazz Napier has helped out with 13.6 points, but there hasn’t been much consistency elsewhere, and Connecticut is not good enough defensively to overcome their lack of punch at the offensive end.

Connecticut Louisville Betting Preview: Louisville

The Cardinals aren’t worried at all about their offense right now with Kyle Kuric leading a group of six different players averaging at least 8.4 points per game, and the ability to rely on the depth in their rotation has been a major part of their recent success. Louisville also has some good size throughout its lineup, with Gorgui Deng and Chane Behanan leading the way for a team that ranks 23rd in rebounding. The Cardinals have been much better at home this season than they have been on the road with close losses to Georgetown and Notre Dame the only blemishes on an otherwise perfect record.

Connecticut Louisville Betting Preview: Outlook & Pick

The key to this contest from a best best sportsbook perspective is the consistency that Louisville has shown at the KFC Yum! Center this season, an edge that has made the difference so far for their standing in the Big East. The Cardinals had won three straight games by at least nine points heading in to this past weekend, and there is no reason to think they will slow down against a struggling Huskies’ team that has been far too inconsistent recently. The defending Big East champions are on the bubble right now, and it won’t be easy with games against Louisville and then the No. 2 Syracuse Orange.

Connecticut Louisville Betting Pick: Louisville Cardinals

I bet i have tried maybe a gazillion deodarants but none can help with my problemo.

So in gym class we wear grey shirts. But i sweat and u can see that my armpits are alittle wet. It’s super embarassing cuz my crush is in my gym class 2. Also in basketball. I play center and i’m really embarassed to put my hands up.
Pleez help!!!!!!!!
Deodarant brands, or house-hold remedies that work 2!
Thanks!:)

well deodorant’s don’t make you not sweat just mask the scent of sweat with something else.
you should just try not to exercise or run as much as you just did to sweat so much.

try baby powder, like not bunches but just a little bit, its supposed to soak up sweat very good. my brother uses it after he gets out of the shower and before he gets home from work and he said that he dosent sweat at all and its comfortable…..so for extra protection try deoderant, and baby powder i did it before for a track and feild thing….it worked great ^_^

hope i helped xoxo

i know how u feel bro but u can try this….

Dont use axe cuz it last for 30 minutes n smells horrible
If u have alot of armpit hair then cut some of it off so that ur deoderant is more effective
But dont cut all of it off cuz having some is good because it absorbs sweat with out smelling bad or pit stains

thats all i gotta say good luck

Ohio State Buckeyes @ Wisconsin Badgers – Saturday, February 4

Sports betting line: No line

Why Ohio State Will Win

When you do your homework and assess your best best sportsbook on this game, it’s worth mentioning that while Wisconsin is riding a five-game winning streak, it’s not as though the Badgers are lighting up the night sky in the process. It’s true that coach Bo Ryan’s Badgers have rebounded quite nicely from a horrible start to their Big Ten season by ripping off five wins for a 6-3 league record, but this is still a much more limited team than last year’s edition. Without versatile big man Jon Leuer, Wisconsin has fewer options at the offensive end of the floor; moreover, Leuer set great screens and really helped the Badgers with their halfcourt spacing. Wisconsin will have a hard time spacing out Ohio State’s defense, which is particularly solid at the two most important spots on the floor – at the point and in the low post.

Guard Aaron Craft provides lock-down defense for the Buckeyes on the perimeter, and big man Jared Sullinger is around to clean up messes on the glass and within six feet of the rim. Wisconsin does not have anyone as skilled or as agile on the low block as Sullinger is. Ohio State lost at Wisconsin last season, but that Wisconsin team was much more explosive. In this game, Wisconsin will have a hard time scoring on its initial offense, and the Badgers will have an equally difficult time crashing the glass to get second-chance points. Ohio State will win with defense and rebounding.

Why Wisconsin Will Win

The college basketball betting experts who follow the Big Ten Conference for a living know that Ohio State just isn’t getting the job done on the road this season. OSU has had a front-loaded home schedule and few challenging road contests to this point in the 2012 campaign. The Buckeyes won at Iowa and Nebraska – two of the worst teams in the league – and lost to half-decent teams from Illinois and Indiana. Wisconsin has indeed been dinged up at home this season, losing to Marquette, Michigan State, and Iowa, but the Badgers have a lot of pride, for one thing. Second, they have rebounded and rallied around the flag in recent weeks, knocking off a series of opponents, including Illinois. Wisconsin has clearly undergone a positive metamorphosis. It was saddled with so much pressure and so many high expectations in the early part of the Big Ten season, but Bo Ryan has gotten his team to settle down and focus on each game night, not the year’s demands or the wishes of the fan base. Wisconsin is in the right frame of mind to win this game.

Who Will Win

It’s simple: Ohio State is mad – the Buckeyes are tired of hearing how they can’t win on the road. Wisconsin isn’t as loaded as it was last year, while the Buckeyes are deep and formidable. OSU will get it right on the road and win in Madison, Wisconsin.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Ohio State

Duke made lots of changes coming into its game at Virginia Tech on Thursday night, and the No. 7 Blue Devils put together one of their more complete performances in a 75-60 victory.

“Once we get going and our offense gets going and our defense plays at the same level as our offense, were a good team,” said Ryan Kelly, who scored 15 points.

Austin Rivers led the Blue Devils with 18 points and added five assists and five rebounds, and the Blue Devils used a 13-2 burst late in the first half to open a double-digit lead they never relinquished.

“Everybodys so unselfish now and it makes everything fun,” Rivers said.

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Two hard practices before the trip to Cassell Coliseum helped Duke find its focus and maintain it throughout. Kelly said the move away from social media was a team decision, and coach Mike Krzyzewski said its a mature one that could pay dividends.

“They just decided that instead of a twitter family or whatever, its better to concentrate on our family,” he said. “Its for the next couple of months and then theyll have a lot to tweet about.

“Hopefully, they will.”

Krzyzewski made two changes to the starting lineup, removing Seth Curry and K a move mostly inspired by defensive play.

But Kelly still had a huge impact, and in a key spot.

He had seven points in the 13-2 spurt that helped the Blue Devils (19-3, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) pull away. Rivers hit a 3-pointer and Kelly scored the last five in a 10-0 burst in the second half when Duke extended its lead to 62-40 with 11:19 remaining.

Curry added 11 points and Mason Plumlee had 10 for Duke.

The loss was the seventh in eight games for Virginia Tech (12-10, 1-6) and left coach Seth Greenberg hoarse and disappointed, he said, with how his team handled adversity.

“We had some guys miss some shots and that affected their ability to do anything on the other end, and you cant have that and beat a good team,” he said. “We did some good things, but when they kind of bowed their neck, I thought we melted.”

Five of the previous losses were by four points or fewer, but the Blue Devils left nothing to chance in avenging a 64-60 setback at Cassell Coliseum last February.

Erick Green led Virginia Tech with 17 points and Victory Davila tied his career high with 16.

The game was tied 21-all when Duke started pounding it inside and scored 13 of the next 15 points. Rivers began the run with a putback, and Kelly scored on a dunk and then a drive. After Green hit a pair of free throws for Virginia Tech, Quinn Cook scored on a drive, Kelly swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key, and Andre Dawkins scored inside for the Blue Devils, making it 34-23.

After a putback by Davila, Plumlee made two free throws, and the six-foot Cook scored on a hook to make it 38-25.

Greens 3-pointer that just beat the first-half buzzer pulled the Hokies within 10, but they got no closer.

Just to be sure, the Blue Devils put it away with a run that Rivers started with a 3-pointer, his third of four in the game. Plumlee added two free throws, Kelly scored on a spin move when he banked the ball in as he appeared to be falling down, and then followed that with a 3-pointer.

The ending was a stark contrast from last season, when the Hokies home victory brought fans storming onto the court to celebrate a victory that many thought assured their first NCAA tournament berth in four years. But the Hokies lost their last two games of the regular season, won twice in the ACC tournament, then lost to the Blue Devils in the semifinals and were again relegated to the NIT.

Kenny Boynton scored 24 points, Bradley Beal had his fourth double-double and the No. 12 Gators beat South Carolina 74-66 on Thursday night for their sixth consecutive victory.

Florida (18-4, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) swept the Gamecocks (9-12, 1-6) for the first time since 2008 and extended its home-winning streak to 18 games.

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The latest one was a grind.

“Im kind of happy it happened because we won the game and it was a woeful shooting night,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said. “We almost got caught.”

The Gators led by 17 points midway through the first half, but missed enough shots to allow South Carolina to slowly whittle it down to five with 2:51 remaining. Brenton Williams had a chance to make it a five-point game with 1:13 remaining, but he missed the first of two free throws. Williams also had a costly turnover on the previous possession. He was 2 of 9 shooting.

Florida made 11 of 12 free throws in the final 1:09 to close it out.

“We need these kinds of wins,” Boynton said. “In the past we let some home wins slip away. I think we learned from those.”

The Gators shot 37.3 percent from the floor, their second-lowest total of the season. The biggest problem came from 3-point range. Boynton was 4 of 8 from behind the arc, but his teammates combined to go 3 for 20.

“Its not going to be pretty every night,” Floridas Erving Walker said. “South Carolina did a good job of scrambling and switching defenses.”

Bruce Ellington led South Carolina with 15 points. Damontre Harris and Malik Cooke added 12 each.

The Gamecocks squandered several chances in the final few minutes. Maybe the toughest to and found Beal slicing through the lane. Beal dunked it, got fouled and completed the three-point play to put the Gators up 59-50.

Beal finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Walker had 14 points, seven assists and four rebounds.

“The challenge is when youre playing a team of Floridas caliber and youve dug yourself in a hole,” South Carolina coach Darrin Horn said.

The Gators built their big lead with a huge rebounding advantage and by making four of their first seven 3-point attempts. But they went cold from long range in the second half.

South Carolina couldnt take advantage.

“We just couldnt get over that hump every time we cut the lead down,” Harris said. “We were always in that same spot, so it was hard for us to get over that hump.”

Florida dominated the opening 10 minutes.

The Gators made 3-pointers, got nearly every loose ball and took advantage of a 14-1 rebounding margin to build a 27-10 lead.

Nothing went wrong for Florida early. The press took South Carolina out of rhythm, and the Gators seemed to find wide-open shooters all over the floor. And even when they did miss, they got just about every rebound. Flor more than Donovans team had in its previous three games combined.

“The main thing that really hurt us the most was rebounding,” Harris said. “That is what killed us the most.”

The Gamecocks eventually settled down and started slicing into the lead.

Brian Richardson hit a 3-pointer and a jumper, and then Cooke found his stroke. Cooke sank a mid-range shot, and then converted a three-point play on the next possession. Cooke flipped in a shot over his head, got fouled and knocked down the free throw.

RJ Slawson continued South Carolinas late surge with a layup in the final minute. The Gamecocks ended the half on a 9-1 run and suddenly trailed 37-28 after looking like they would get blown out.

Florida contributed to its problems late in the first half with poor shot selection and missed free throws. Beal missed three from the charity stripe in the final 5:48, and Walker missed both of his in the final minute.

Cooke made it a six-point game, 37-31, with a three-point play to open the second half.

The Gators responded, though.

Walker made consecutive floaters in the lane, and Beal tipped in a miss. The game went back and forth the rest of the way. The biggest different was Florida started making free throws and finished 23 for 32 from the stripe.

“We let up,” Boynton said. “In the first half we were hitting shots and everybody was into it. In the second half, we stopped hitting them and had defensive letdowns. … But we found a way to win, and thats all that matters.”

Isaiah Canaan scored 24 of his 32 points in the second half and the No. 10 Racers remained unbeaten with an 81-73 victory against Southeast Missouri State on Thursday night.

Jewuan Long added 13 points for Murray State (22-0, 10-0), which is off to the best start by an Ohio Valley Conference team since Western Kentucky opened 21-0 in 1953-54.

“Isaiah Canaan is a special player,” Southeast Missouri coach Dickey Nutt said. “Special players step up in special games and thats what he did. He hit big shots when the game was on the line, especially contested and also from very deep range, so I have to give him credit for that.”

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Marcus Brister had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Redhawks (12-10, 7-3).

The lead changed hands three times in the first half and Murray State trailed the Redhawks 39-33 at the break. Murray State took the lead for good less than 10 minutes into the second half.

Southeast Missouri forced 14 turnovers, but Murray State outrebounded the Redhawks 43-34.

With the Redhawks leading 46-40 and 15:38 to go, Long took an elbow to the chin from SE Missouris Marland Smith. A minute later, after two missed layups and a jumper, Ivan Aska ran down the court, shared a look with Canaan and said, “Lets go bro.” Ten seconds later, Canaan connected with his second 3 in a row.

“I knew [Canaan] had a slow start in the first half and we was down a little bit in the first half and the second half but I knew he was going to come along soon so I wasnt worried at all,” Long said. “Weve seen it too many times and I had faith he was going to come through.”

After three Donte Poole free throws, Canaan sank another 3-pointer with 13 minutes to go.

“They [teammates] stay on me all the time for situations like these so when they come down to games like these and you see all the great numbers, I try to give them all the credit because they prepared me for situations like this to go out and do things like this,” Canaan said. “Ivan and the rest of the teammates were just saying, Lets go and it went on from there and I started knocking down a few shots and we started getting aggressive in the defense like we should have been in the first half and things turned out for the best.”

Aska added 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Racers, and his dunk its largest of the game.

Murray State trailed by as many as 11 in the first half, but coach Steve Prohm never called a timeout.

“I get a $200 bonus for every timeout I leave up there,” Prohm joked. “Ive got a lot of confidence in these guys because theyve got great character and theyve got great toughness. Im not a yeller and a screamer, I learned from coach [Billy] Kennedy to be even-keeled because theyre going to respond how I respond and thats what I believe in my gut and my heart and we havent lost our composure.”

The two teams meet again in Cape Girardeau on Feb. 15.

Prohm and company remain unfazed.

“Were just going to keep doing the same thing were doing,” the coach said. “Preach to these guys every day about being humble and handling themselves with great humility and theyve done that at the highest level. I couldnt be more proud of them.”

Michael’s the greatest and that’s that, wow, really guys, this is embarrassing, I bet 95% of the comparisons are coming from younger fans who never saw MJ actually play

The rest are probably coming from angry Utah Jazz fans holding a grudge or something…who knows..

I don’t know…it’s just that, I’m actually interested into todays talent you know…not basketball during the Christ era, that was great, nice stuff, but seriously, I think we should move on.

Michael jordan was terrible! Ted Bundy had a better shooting average.

Because you keep complaining about it

why don’t you learn some grammar.

wtf .. man go to sleep

Jordan retired 1000 years ago? Wow time really flys.

that is because Jordan has set the bar
and everyone wanna be like Mike.

Kobe is the closest player we have that is close
to Jordan. Lebron is nothing like him.

Jazz fan here wondering why you think we would have a grudge? Sure he beat us twice but that doesn’t diminish his greatness. Also why are you saying 10 years ago is from Christ era? You’re stupid

I guess because everybody wants their favorite player to be as good as Jordan, but small talks don’t help much. Jordan is a Legend and no one can touch him.

I know which wants to be compared to the most over-rated player of all time.

Cause he’s one of the greatest EVER!!!

Jackson hit a 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining to put Baylor on top and added two free throws to give the Bears a 63-60 victory over Texas A&M on Wednesday night.

It was his second straight game with a big play late after he hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in Baylors 76-71 win over Texas on Saturday.

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Baylor coach Scott Drew wishes he knew what it was about Jackson that causes him to excel under pressure.

“I dont know, but if we could clone it or duplicate it, wed inject it in a lot of people,” he said. “The bigger the moment, the bigger the play, the better he performs. Youve either got it or you dont and he definitely has it.”

The Bears (20-2, 7-2 Big 12) were up by four points with 5 minutes left before A&M used a 9-3 run capped by a short jump shot by David Loubeau to take a 60-58 lead with 29 seconds remaining.

Jacksons second 3 of the game put the Bears on top before A&Ms Elston Turner missed a 3-pointer forcing the Aggies (12-9, 3-6) to foul.

Jackson missed his first free throw attempt, but was fouled again after the rebound and made the insurance shots.

He was glad to have a chance to redeem himself after missing a 3-pointer just before Loubeaus shot that put the Aggies on top.

“I missed and I was wide open, and my teammates just told me the next one was going to fall and it did,” Jackson said.

Perry Jones III said they love seeing the ball in Jacksons hands in key situations.

“Hes been taking big shots since he got here,” Jones said. “Anytime hes open, were looking for him.”

Loubeau had 16 points for Texas A&M, which was without two starters.

“Theyve got a lot of weapons and we made them have to use them,” Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. “Im proud of the way our guys competed in a difficult situation.”

The win gives Baylor its first 7-2 conference start since 1968-69 and its fourth 20-win season in the last five.

Baylor has won five straight over the Aggies in this rivalry which has been played every year since 1930-31 but is in jeopardy with Texas A&M leaving for the Southeastern Conference.

Wednesdays victory leaves the Bears tied with No. 4 Missouri for second place in the Big 12. They are one game behind league leader No. 8 Kansas.

The Bears got 15 points from Jones and Jackson finished with 14 points and five assists. Quincy Acy added 11 points and Quincy Miller had 11 rebounds and nine points.

They finished with a season-low seven turnovers and limited A&M to 39.3 percent shooting, the fourth time in league play they have kept an opponent below 40 percent.

The Bears were down by five before scoring nine consecutive points to take a 53-49 lead with 6 minutes remaining. Acy had two dunks in that span to quiet the crowd a bit.

The Bears led by nine points early in the second half before A&M used a 14-3 run to take a 44-42 lead with about 12 minutes remaining. Daniel Alexander started the spurt with a 3-pointer and A&M had two steals which ended with easy layups to keep it going.

Anthony Jones had a tip-in for Baylor to tie it before A&M scored five straight points, led by a dunk by Loubeau, to take a 49-44 lead with about 10 minutes left.

Things got testy in this one with Loubeau and Acy having to be separated by teammates and officials after two other players tussled on the court for a loose ball midway through the second half.

Acy liked how intense the game got and the fervor of A&Ms fans.

“Its always like that,” he said. “Its A&M and thats the rivalry.”

Alexander finished with 12 points and six rebounds for A&M and Ray Turner had 13 points. The Bears were able to limit Elston Turner, who had scored at least 23 points in three straight games, to eight points.

The Aggies were without second-leading scorer Khris Middleton (right knee) for the third straight game and point guard Dash Harris (right foot) for the second. Kennedy said Monday that he hoped Harris could play, but when he appeared on crutches during warmups it became apparent that he would sit out again.

Acy was impressed with A&Ms performance on Wednesday while playing shorthanded.

“Those are two of their better players and they showed a lot of heart and that says a lot about them and their coach,” he said.

Baylor used a 16-5 run to take a 31-23 lead about 3 minutes before halftime. The Bears led 36-25 at halftime.

The shot rimmed out as the buzzer sounded and the Aztecs exhaled, having held off the Broncos for a 58-56 win Wednesday night.

“I was like, `Please, please, please miss it, ` Tapley said. “I had missed a free throw and coming down, messed up a switch. I just did horrible in that sequence. When the shot was going up, I was just praying it rolled out, and it did. The basketball gods saved us.”

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Jamaal Franklin had 16 points and Tapley added 14 for San Diego State (19-3, 5-1 Mountain West Conference), which used a 14-0 run in the second half to take control.

Anthony Drmic and Tre Nichols scored 17 apiece for Boise State (10-11, 0-6), which lost its seventh straight game.

SDSU led 47-40 before Boise State closed the gap on a 3-pointer by Nichols and a three-point play by Derrick Marks. SDSU made seven of eight free throws over the last 34.1 seconds.

Tapley made one free throw with 7.5 seconds left but missed the second, giving the Broncos a chance to win.

The Aztecs somehow left Bropleh unguarded on the baseline.

“If that goes in, we feel like we are the best team in the world,” Drmic said. “But if it doesnt, we dont.”

Said coach Leon Rice: “Tre made a terrific play and got Thomas a great look. It was halfway down. It really was.”

San Diego State was coming off a dismal 17-point loss at Colorado State on Saturday. A second straight upset loss would have been hard to take.

“We just cant have sequences like that at the end of game,” Tapley said. “We have to finish games off.”

Said coach Steve Fisher: “Sometimes after losses, you feel good about everything you did except looking at the scoreboard. And sometimes after wins, it almost feels as if you didnt win. And that was tonight. We were very fortunate.”

Fisher said the ugly win could be good for the Aztecs.

“If our players truly believe what Im saying, it will be good for us. On March 10 or 11, or whenever the season is over … Im hoping that our players will say, `That Boise State game at home on Feb. 1 helped us. If we view it that way, and Im hoping we will. If we dont, Im concerned about whats going to happen on Saturday, and on the following Saturday, and the following Wednesday, and on and on and on.”

Fisher said he doesnt “appreciate the way weve been playing, especially tonight.”

He cited certain stretches of good play, “But its the whole body of work, and Im hopeful that our leaders and our veteran guys will make sure that that message is delivered home to one another.”

Boise State seemed ready to run away with the game after making the first two baskets of the second half to take a 37-25 lead, its biggest of the night. But the Broncos scored just 19 points the rest of the way.

This one didnt start well for the Aztecs,

Boise State stunned the cold-shooting Aztecs by rallying from an early 10-3 deficit. The Broncos went on a 14-0 run, fueled by three 3-pointers and a jumper by Nichols to take a 17-10 lead with 8:14 left before halftime. Garrett Green made one of two free throws with 7:48 left for the Aztecs first points in nearly 7 minutes.

The Aztecs pulled to 19-16 with a 3-pointer by Franklin and a slam dunk by DeShawn Stephens, only to see Drmic get hot from behind the arc with 3 3-pointers plus another long shot that helped the Broncos take a 33-25 halftime lead.

After making the first two shots of the second half, the Broncos bogged down with fouls, turnovers and poor shooting, allowing the Aztecs to go on their 14-0 run.

LaBradford Franklin made an off-balance layup and a free throw to pull the Aztecs to 37-35, Franklin made a fallaway jumper to tie it at 37 and Xavier Thames hit a jumper to give SDSU at 39-37 lead with 10:23 to go, its first since midway through the first half.

“We kind of got on the ropes and got rattled a little bit,” Rice said. “I thought we regrouped. … They turned up the heat on us.”

Marks had 12 points for the Broncos.

Given the way No. 8 Kansas had played lately, they werent always pleasant thoughts.

That certainly changed Wednesday night, though, when Thomas Robinson had 20 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Jayhawks in an 84-62 blowout of the Sooners.

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“Im leaving out of here more excited about our team than before the game started,” Self said. “I didnt think the last couple of weeks we had been that good. Were going to have to be better Saturday night than we were tonight, but we were pretty good.”

Pretty close to perfect, at least in the second half.

Tyshawn Taylor had 21 points, Jeff Withey added 15 and Travis Releford had 12 for Kansas (18-4, 8-1 Big 12), which responded to its first conference loss at Iowa State by outscoring turnover-prone Oklahoma 50-31 over the final 20 minutes.

“I dont think it was difficult to focus on this game because of our last game,” Taylor said, adding: “Coach said in the locker room, `Its something we can start focusing on now.”

The Jayhawks havent lost to Oklahoma in the last nine meetings, and the last 10 at venerable Allen Fieldhouse, where they have won 19 straight overall. They have also gone 225 games without consecutive defeats, the longest streak in the nation. Duke is next at 110 games.

“Theyre a terrific ball club. Bill does a great job,” said Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger, who is no stranger to the Jayhawks from his days as a player and coach at Kansas State. “You cant give them that opportunity to get up and get going like they did. They finished it pretty early in the second half.”

Romero Osby scored 19 points, Steven Pledger had 17 and Andrew Fitzgerald finished with 14 for the Sooners (13-8, 3-6), who were within 34-31 at halftime before Kansas hit its stride.

The game nearly got out of hand much earlier, when Eli carved into the lane for an acrobatic layup.

Robinsons putback moments later gave the Jayhawks a 30-19 lead.

“Coach just told me that Im not playing like the player Im capable of being,” Robinson said. “Hes been stressing all week that I havent been aggressive.”

Kruger wisely called for a timeout, and his Sooners embarked on 12-2 run.

Cameron Clarks basket started it and Pledger added a deep 3-pointer from the wing. The hot-shooting Pledger, who had 30 points in a win over Kansas State last weekend, capped the spurt with another 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in the half, drawing the Sooners within 32-31.

Taylors two foul shots just before the buzzer restored the three-point cushion.

It turned out to be the closest Oklahoma got.

“I thought we battled pretty well for a half,” Kruger said. “Then we opened the second half not how we wanted to, or not how we needed to, for sure.”

Withey, who played just 8 minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, scored the first basket of the second half, sending the Jayhawks on a 12-2 run that resulted in a 44-33 lead.

Robinson added an impressive dunk off a feed from Taylor, who finished with six assists, and Kansas kept drawing away. Taylors deep 3 from the wing as the shot clock wound down pushed the lead to 59-39 with 11:41 left in the game.

The lead reached 30 when Withey made a nice post move on C.J. Washington and drew a foul with 4:06 left. The 7-footer, an 86 percent free throw shooter, made both for an 80-49 lead.

“We took a lot of 3-pointers in the first half, kind of playing into their hands, how they wanted to play,” Taylor said. “I think we got a lot of fast-break points and in the paint just because of our defensive pressure, getting fast breaks.”

Self substituted liberally after that, allowing his starters to bask in the adoration of another sellout crowd and rest up before the first installment this season of the Border War.

The Jayhawks had been wary not to look ahead to their game against Missouri (20-2, 7-2), who had a couple of extra days to prepare after beating Texas on Monday night. They can now turn their full attention to one of the biggest regular-season matchups ever between the teams.

“If were tuned in defensively and were rebounding the ball, I think we can beat anybody, and I think thats going to be our focus these next couple weekends, guarding and rebounding the ball,” Taylor said. “We have to win these games. We have to. Theyre important.”