college basketball notes
Sun Devils rally late to beat No. 1 Kansas
Rob Edwards scored 15 points and hit two free throws with 6.1 seconds left, setting off a wild celebration as No. 18 Arizona State knocked off No. 1 Kansas 80-76 on Saturday night in Tempe, Ariz.
The second No. 1 team to play in Tempe drew a star-studded crowd, with Michael Phelps, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Eddie House and Arizona governor Doug Ducey among the third-largest crowd (14,592) in school history.
Arizona State (9-2) struggled hitting shots around the rim and stopping Kansas preseason All-American Dedric Lawson while falling behind by nine.
Like Arizona State did while beating Kansas a year ago, the Sun Devils rallied late, using a 10-0 run to go up 76-74 with 90 seconds left.
Kansas tied it on two free throws, then Arizona State’s Remy Martin hit a pull-up jumper with 58 seconds left.
The Jayhawks (10-1) fumbled the ball away for a backcourt violation on the next possession and Edwards hit the two sealing free throws for Arizona State’s second win over a No. 1 team. The victory set off a massive celebration inside Wells Fargo Arena as the students poured out of the stands onto the court.
The Jayhawks played their fourth straight game without big man Udoka Azubuike due to an ankle injury, failing in their first true road test by not making enough plays down the stretch.
Dedric Lawson led Kansas with 30 points and 14 rebounds.
Arizona State pulled off the upset in Lawrence last season, knocking off the then-No. 2 Jayhawks 95-85 during an undefeated nonconference schedule that led the Sun Devils into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2014.
Johnson scored 16 in the second half, helping the Wildcats (9-2) hold off the Tar Heels (8-3) in their first meeting since the 2017 NCAA South Regional final.