Kansas entered Wednesday’s road game against Creighton as the No. 1 team in the nation, and an undefeated one at that.
However, the Jayhawks suffered a 76-63 defeat against the Bluejays (6-3). Though there were times Kansas (7-1) made things close, KU never led in its first true road test.
Here are a few reasons why the Jayhawks lost:
Pop Isaacs shines for Creighton
Creighton junior guard Pop Isaacs is no stranger to Kansas, given his time at Texas Tech. He lit up the Jayhawks for 27 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists. His 10-of-15 shooting performance included six 3-pointers and proved impossible for Kansas to defend.
Dajuan Harris Jr. needed too many shots to lead Kansas in scoring
There will be more opponents who force Harris to beat them shooting the ball, given how much talent surrounds the Jayhawks point guard. There will be games Harris makes them pay for it, too, but Wednesday wasn’t that game. Harris’ team-high 15 points came on a 6-of-21 shooting night — including 3-of-9 from 3-point range.
Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner wins battle of star big-men
The game’s marquee matchup featured Creighton senior center versus Kansas graduate center Hunter Dickinson. Kalkbrenner prevailed with 17 points and 10 rebounds in 38 minutes. Dickinson had six points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes in a game that saw Creighton overcome its 15-5 deficit in turnovers by outscoring Kansas 36-24 from 3-point range.
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 X at @JordanGuskey.
