The Jayhawks, now a pedestrian 21-12, were going to hold that underdog designation a) only if they won Thursday in the Big 12 quarterfinals against Wildcats and b) because they had backed into their current plight to begin with.

Still, the Wildcats were able to take the Jayhawks’ punch and respond, forcing Kansas into several turnovers late in the second half. After a Hunter Dickinson layup cut the Arizona lead to 70-69 with 5:43 remaining, the Wildcats closed the game on a 18-8 run to win by double-figures.