#2 18-0 Vs 12-6 <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>During its perfect start, easy wins have become the norm for Kansas. The Jayhawks' most recent contest proved that they're also capable of winning close games when not at their best. The second-ranked Jayhawks (18-0, 3-0 Big 12) hope to remain one of the nation's two unbeaten Division I teams when they host Iowa State (12-6, 2-1) on Wednesday night. Kansas had hardly been tested in winning its first 17 games, leading the nation in margin of victory (25.5) and taking each of its last six contests by at least 21 points. The Jayhawks, though, faced their toughest challenge in a month at rival Missouri on Saturday. They shot a season-low 40 percent (22-for-55) from the field, but compensated by hitting a season-best 28 free throws in 45 attempts to hold off the pesky Tigers 76-70. Brandon Rush was 2-for-14 from the floor but made three free throws in the final 64 seconds, during which the Jayhawks went 8-for-12 from the line. "I made a big-time effort to get to the line, or stay aggressive and get easy baskets somewhere," Rush said. "Yeah, I was getting frustrated, but I was trying not to pay too much attention to it." The Jayhawks' 18-0 record is the fifth-best start in school history, and the best since the 1996-97 team opened a school-record 22-0. Mario Chalmers scored 18 points and Darnell Jackson had 13 and nine rebounds for the Jayhawks, who improved to 32-1 in their last 33 games despite making their final field goal with 7:30 remaining. "I'm certainly not going to complain about the number we shot on the road," coach Bill Self said. "We made just enough to win the game, but we made it hard on ourselves down the stretch by not converting, and we've got to do better." The tight victory helped Kansas move up one spot in the rankings after former No. 1 North Carolina lost for the first time this season. Only new No. 1 Memphis also remains undefeated. Kansas freshman center Cole Aldrich, though, wasn't satisfied with being No. 2. "It's nice that were moving up, but we wish we were No. 1," he said. "We will show everyone who the real No. 1 is at the end of the season. Yeah, I think we are (the best team in the country). We've had some tough wins, which really helped us build our character." Kansas' balanced offense was on display again Saturday as four players scored in double figures. Sophomore forward Darrell Arthur averages a team-best 13.2 points per game, followed by Chalmers (12.5), Jackson (12.3) and Rush (11.8). Iowa State has won five of six and nine of its last 11 games, but even coach Greg McDermott knows his team faces a very difficult assignment Wednesday. "They're as talented a team as there is in the country," he said. "For someone to beat them, they're going to have to play a perfect game, especially in Allen Fieldhouse, and hope Kansas is not at the top of their game." The Cyclones overcame a 10-point deficit for their eighth straight home win Saturday, 73-66 over Oklahoma State. Sophomore guard Wesley Johnson scored a career-high 24 points for Iowa State, which has lost three of four road games this season. The Cyclones have dropped six straight against ranked teams -- five coming under McDermott. Johnson leads the team in scoring (13.9) and averaged 22.0 in his last two games. However, he was limited to six points on 2-of-11 shooting the last time Iowa State faced Kansas, an 89-52 loss on Feb. 24. Kansas has won four straight and 11 of its last 13 meetings with Iowa State. The Cyclones have one victory in their last six visits to Allen Fieldhouse, 63-61 in overtime on Feb. 19, 2005.</div> http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/preview?gameId=280232305
83 59 <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- No. 2 Kansas was almost perfectly average. It was more than enough to remain undefeated. The Jayhawks went into Wednesday night shooting 51 percent for the season and leading the country with a scoring margin of 24.3 points, so they shot 50 percent and beat Iowa State by 24. Darnell Jackson got his first double-double and the Kansas big men thwarted Iowa State's perimeter-oriented strategy in an 83-59 win that kept the Jayhawks unbeaten in 19 games, tying for the third-best start in school history. "They have so many weapons," said Iowa State coach Greg McDermott. "There is not really one person in their lineup that you can leave to provide some help on somebody else." The 6-foot-8 Jackson had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Kansas (19-0, 4-0 Big 12) and 6-9 Darrell Arthur had 16 points after starting the game with a turnover, a foul and an airball. Brandon Rush had 11 points and a career-best six assists. Iowa State (12-7, 2-2), which had won nine of its last 11, concentrated its defense on the perimeter and did manage to hold Kansas' prolific guards to just five 3-pointers. But that left Iowa State exposed up front and the Jayhawks outscored the visitors in the paint 42-16. "We made the decision to play some of their post players one-on-one to try to control some of their dribble penetration and to get to some of their 3-point shooters," McDermott said. "And to their credit, Arthur and Jackson really made us pay for it." The strategy made sense to Kansas coach Bill Self. "It didn't surprise me at all," he said. "Everybody tries to take something away in some form or fashion. We're at our best offensively when the post man [passes it back to the guards] and they took that away." Jackson, with his first double-double of the season, scored six points during a 15-5 run in the second half that gave Kansas a comfortable 64-41 lead en route to its 33rd victory in its last 34 games. The spree began with a play that made the sellout crowd in venerable Allen Fieldhouse catch its breath. On a fast break, Rush was fouled under the basket and came down very hard on his right knee, where he still wears a brace after undergoing ACL surgery last June. But Rush bounced right back up and hit two free throws, and finished with 11 points to go with a career-high six assists. Mario Chalmers rebounded an Iowa State miss and then hit a 3-pointer for a 54-36 lead, and then Jackson made two consecutive baskets. Jackson, who had three double-doubles last season, knew he was getting close to his first when the bench kept yelling "one more, one more" rebound. "I wanted to make sure that if I had the chance to go get a rebound, I was going to get it," he said. Iowa State, which hadn't faced a ranked team all year, shot only 31 percent, including 6-of-28 3-pointers. Chalmers had 10 points and Russell Robinson had 11. Wesley Johnson, the current player of the week in the Big 12, had 21 points for Iowa State, giving him 65 points in his last three games. Craig Brackins had 13. With about three minutes left, Self emptied his bench onto the floor. With almost two minutes to play, McDermott did the same, leaving almost entirely reserves to end the game for both teams. Brackins said he's not sure the Jayhawks will lose any time soon. "They're so calm and poised on the court," he said. "You look at them and even when something is going wrong or something is going right, they have the same look on their face. They're just so comfortable out on the court. They'll make you pay for your mistakes, so basically you just have to be on your game and just go out and play as tough as you can."</div> http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280232305
