Final, KU wins 76-72

Jerryd Bayless was called for a travel out of the timeout for UA’s 25th turnover of the game, sending the ball back with KU yet again. KU opted to run some of the clock out. But what ensued after a dribbling display by Mario Chalmers was just as huge.

Chalmers threw a lob for Rush, who threw it down with two hands to give himself 16 points in his 35th minute of play on the night.

Jordan Hill scored two for UA, and the ‘Cats forced a turnover on the other end in the paint, and on the other end, Bayless laid in two to give himself 18 points on a layup that was accompanied with a free throw. He hit it, again making it a three-point game.

Budinger then fouled out after hand-checking Brandon Rush way out pas the three-point arc. Rush went to the line in the bonus with Budinger and his game-high 27 points sitting on the bench.

Rush’s first free throw missed and the second dropped, putting KU up by four. Jawan McClellan missed a three on the other end, and then Arizona was relegated to simply fouling KU. Russell Robinson headed to the line after a foul at midcourt. Robinson hit both to end it.

Chase Budinger led all scorers with 27 points, but they were rendered meaningless with KU pulling it out in overtime, 76-72.

Darrell Arthur scored four huge points for KU in overtime and led the Jayhawks with 20. Brandon Rush, who played a season-high 36 minutes, scored 17, including a pair of huge game-clinching dunks in the extra stanza. KU was outrebounded 38-29, but Arizona turned the ball over 25 times, giving KU multiple chances to win it in heart attack fashion.

KU will play Wednesday against a Rex Walters-coached Florida Atlantic team before hitting the road for the first time to play at Southern Cal next Sunday.

2:12, overtime, KU leads 71-65

Rodrick Stewart went to the rack and scored a hoop with harm and hit the free throw to put KU up 63-60 at the start of overtime, but Chase Budinger erased it by hitting his sixth three of the night to give himself a game-high 27 points, tying it again at 65-65.

Budinger aired a three after a KU turnover out of the timeout, sending the ball back with the Jayhawks. Arthur put KU on top 67-65 with two on the baseline, giving him 18 points late in the game.

Arthur then swatted a Jordan Hill shot out of bounds at the 3:13 mark. After the inbounds pass, though, Russell Robinson was called for his fourth foul while pushing Chase Budinger away from the ball. Budinger missed the first shot in a one-and-one, making the foul meaningless. Chalmers then drove and missed a layup, but Arthur slipped in the rebound to make it a four-point game.

Brandon Rush then poked away an errant UA pass after a Jordan Hill dunk was partially blocked. He slammed it home with two hands to make the Fieldhouse erupt with KU holding a 6-point lead at the 2:12 mark in overtime.

End of regulation, game tied 62-62

Chalmers got to the line right away after drawing a foul and earning a bonus trip to the stripe. He hit both, tying the game at 60-60 and giving Arizona the final shot with just :21.6 to go.

Bret Brielmaier was left with an awkward longrange two to win the game, but he missed. Brandon Rush took a heave from past midcourt which rattled the rim and nearly fell, but just dropped off the iron and sent the game to overtime, 62-62.

:35.7, second half, Arizona leads 60-58

Mario Chalmers missed his and-one free throw after the break, but he was quick to get to a defensive rebound on the other end following a Chase Budinger miss.

Darrell Arthur got to the line on the other end and hit both attempts to tie the game up 58-58 with three minutes to go, waking up the crowd for good. An offensive foul against Nic Wise got them going even more, sending the ball back with KU having a chance to take the lead back.

Rod Stewart tried to give KU the lead with a two, but Arthur snagged the offensive board. Chalmers then missed a three and the ball went back with Arizona. This time a foul was called on Chalmers and sent Nic Wise to the line to shoot a one-and-one.

After a 30-second timeout, Wise showed up to the line and hit both attempts to put UA back up by two at 60-58 in KU’s lowest-scoring contest of the season by far.

Mario Chalmers curled around to put in two more and give himself 12 points on the night in tying the game again.

Chase Budinger came back and went right up against Rodrick Stewart on the baseline for two more. Arthur missed a turnaround two for KU on the other end and Arizona corralled the defensive board with just over one minute left, forcing KU into a do-or-die defensive situation.

The Jayhawks forced Budinger into a travel call before hoisting a three with the shot clock dwindling at the :35.7 mark.

3:27, second half, Arizona leads 58-56

Chase Budinger hit yet another three (5-of-10) out of the timeout to put Arizona up by four and give himself 34 points, but Darrell Arthur answered back with two inside. KU then forced Arizona into a timeout on the other end with Jerryd Bayless cornered in front of the ‘Cats bench with nowhere to get the ball.

Arizona turned it over for the 19th time out of the timeout, still leading by two points. KU returned the favor, though, with its 12th turnover coming thanks to a dribble off of Mario Chalmers’ shin while driving.

Jordan Hill dropped in two for the ‘Cats in the paint afterwards, putting the lead back at four points and forcing Bill Self into calling a timeout at the 6:00 mark.

Mario Chalmers missed a three on the other end after the timeout, and Jordan Hill secured his fifth rebound of the game, giving Arizona a 32-20 advantage on the glass. Budinger missed a mid-range two on the other end, though. It turned into Budinger’s third foul of the game, as he was whistled for bumping Brandon Rush on the KU end.

KU then missed on an alley-oop opportunity, as Sasha Kaun was a little shy with a Chalmers lob feed, sending the ball back with Arizona again. The Wildcats turned it over for the 20th time, though, and Mario Chalmers’ two-handed dunk on the other end pulled KU to within two points.

Jerryd Bayless then missed a floater in the lane in traffic, and he was called for a foul against Sasha Kaun on the other end of the floor, giving him two on the night.

Brandon Rush then tried a floater, but couldn’t hit it and on the other end, Nic Wise laid one in backwards to put ARiozna back up by four.

Chalmers came back to drop in a layup and draw a foul to pull KU within two before the free throw heading into the game’s final TV timeout.

7:36, second half, Arizona leads 51-50

Rodrick Stewart woke up the Fieldhouse, taking a Sasha Kaun swatteds shot in the lane out of the timeout, and then finishing the play with a huge one-handed slam in the face of Jerryd Bayless, leading to a timeout by Arizona with the game tied and the home crowd now awake.

Stewart then tried to knock down a three after Arizona’s scoreless possession. Wise missed a three on the other end, but Jerryd Bayless controlled the offensive board, reseting the shot clock.

Bayless answered with a three to put Arizona up 51-48, giving the freshman guard 16 points.

Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush, fresh back into the game, then got into the action with a lob play, giving Rush 14 points. Arthur then slapped down a defensive rebound off of a Budinger miss. Chalmers couldn’t capitalize, though, with a missed free throw line jumper.

Budinger missed a three on the other end, but again with the ball poked out from under the rim, the ‘Cats corralled their 10th offensive board of the game.

11:58, second half, Arizona leads 48-46

Chase Budinger hit a three for Arizona out of the full timeout toput Arizona back up 47-46, and after a pair of empty possessions, the game went to another full break.

Russell Robinson came off the bench out of the timeout with three fouls, and got a three look on KU’s first possession out of the break. But he aired it, sending the ball back with the ‘Cats, who drew a contact foul right away.

Mario Chalmers blocked a three from Jawan McClellan, but Nic Wise kept the possession going. He found Chase Budinger, who missed a shot with the clock dwindling, but the board was again corralled by UA. Eventually, he hit Kirk Walters on the baseline, and he got himself to the line. He hit one of two, but Arizona again got active ont he offensive glass. The ‘Cats’ possession was cut short of points thanks to a traveling call against Jawan McClellan.

The two teams swapped sloppy, scoreless possessions then, with KU earning the ball back after a loose ball scramble. The Jayhawks turned it over for the 10th time on the night, though, with Rodrick Stewart losing the ball on the baseline out of bounds.

Jerryd Bayless missed a jumper after coming around a screen and Walters made it worse getting called for a foul on the glass. KU turned it right back over again, however, trailing 48-46 with 11:58 to go.

15:42, second half, KU leads 46-44

Darnell Jackson saw a layup fall off the rim to start the second half following a turnover on the Arizona end.

Jerryd Bayless hit a midrange jumper to put Arizona up for the first time since the ‘Cats led 4-2 in the first half. On the other end, Jordan Hill swatted Darnell Jackson inside to bring the ball back the other way. Jackson hacked him on the Arizona end after he pump-faked him off his feet. Hill went to the line and hit one of two, putting Arizona up 43-40 two minutes into the second half.

Budinger then stole an errant Darrell Arthur pass to keep KU scoreless in the second half’s early onset. Sasha Kaun swatted away a Jordan Hill try, though. Kaun missed off the glass on the other end making it four empty possessions for KU to start the half.

Budinger went hard to the basket on the opposite end and earned his way to the free throw line for the first time on the night. He hit one of two, putting Arizona up by four and giving himself a game-high 16 points so far.

Rodrick Stewart scored KU’s first points of the second half with a pair of free throws after drawing a foul on Jamelle Horne after a drive. Jerryd Bayless then compounded it by drawing a traveling call to give possession back to KU.

Stewart scored again for KU, hitting a jumper atop the key to give him eight points on the night. Arizona again turned it over with a pass from Bayless to Jawan McClellan going out of bounds.

Sasha Kaun made it a 6-0 KU run with a turnaround jumper over the reach of Jordan Hill. It forced the ‘Cats into a full timeout.

Halftime, game tied 40-40

Mario Chalmers hit one of two bonus free throws out of the timeout, but Jamelle Horne pulled Arizona within one on the other end, dropping in a Chase Budinger miss inside with just over three minutes to go in the first half.

KU’s free throw woes continued on the other end, with Darrell Arthur going to the line in the double bonus, and he hit just one of two to keep KU up by a bucket. The Jayhawks are just 4-of-8 from the line tonight.

Russell Robinson returned the favor on the other end, picking up a foul with Arizona in the bonus. Bayless went to the line and dropped both of his attempts to tie the game 33-33 with 3:15 to go in the half.

Rodrick Stewart responded on the other end with a turnaround jumper in the lane, but Bayless got himself back to the line on Stewart’s third foul on the other end. Bayless hit two more attempts, giving him nine points and tying the game yet again at 35-35.

Darrell Arthur missed on the baseline on the other end, but Bayless’ attempt to give Arizona the lead on the other end with a baseline jumper fell off the iron. Brandon Rush came back to get himself to the line in the double bonus and refreshingly hit both shots.

Kirk Walters on the other end drew contact from Sasha Kaun to give himself two shots at the line with 2:02 to go in the half.

Walters missed both shots, keeping KU up by a pair. Rush on the other end worked around a screen to hit a three and finally give KU some breathing room with a five-point lead.

On the other end, Jerry Bayless worked the shot clock down and got to the lane only to get to the line yet again. He again hit both free throws, giving him 11 points and making it a three-point game in the final minute. KU came back down and turned it over deep in the lane thanks to some miscommunication.

Jawan McClellan tied it again, hitting a three after Bayless scrambled to keep a loose ball in Arizona’s end, and it gave the senior guard six points so far.

KU held for a final shot to the half, and it turned into a Darnell Jackson missed three. Jerryd Bayless’ last-second layup was swatted by Jackson, leaving the game tied 40-40 at the half.

Chase Budinger led all scorers with 15 points in the first half, while his point guard, Jerryd Bayless, had 11. Brandon Rush had 10 for KU, including two huge threes, while Darrell Arthur led the Jayhawks with 12.

3:51, first half, KU leads 31-29

Nic Wise made one of two free throws out of the break, but Darrell Arthur capitalized on a feed from Mario Chalmers and made a nifty layin to give KU a seven-point lead just inside of the seven-minute mark.

Bayless came back into the game for Arizona following a loose rebound going out of bounds off the hands of Brandon Rush. On the inbounds, Chase Budinger hit a long two on the left wing to make it 26-21. KU gave the ball back to the ‘Cats thanks to a ball tipped out of bounds by Darrell Arthur after a Brandon Rush missed leader.

Budinger came back down to hit a three right in Rush’s face as the sophomore now looks officially angry, giving him a game-high 12 points and pulling the ‘Cats within two points.

After a 30-second KU timeout, Darrell Arthur ended an ugly possesion by hitting a turnaround jumper while getting pushed in the chest by Kirk Walters. Arthur’s free throw didn’t go in, but he has a game-high eight points for KU.

Budinger’s answer was yet another three with Rush soaring in, giving him 15 on the night. Arthur again responded, this time driving in thanks to a Brandon Rush feed. He again drew some harm with the shot. This time the free throw went in, giving KU a four-point lead at 31-27.

Budinger took another three, and this time missed. A foul under the hoop by Arizona sent it the other way and put KU at the line in the bonus. Rod Stewart missed the free throw, and Jerryd Bayless hit his second field goal of the game to pull Arizona within two going into the final full break of the first half.

7:05, first half, KU leads 24-18

Jawan McClellan hit a three out of the timeout following a Darrell Arthur missed alley-oop dunk. Mario Chalmers was able to answer back with a 10-foot jumper, though, after he stole a Kirk Walters outlet pass on another KU miss.

Budinger missed a three-pointer for the third time on the night, but this time Bret Brielmaier was there to clean up the mess and put in a hoop with some harm. With KU’s offense having flattened out a bit, his free throw made it a seven-point game at 22-15.

KU responded with a turnover as Darrell Arthur dropped a pass in deep over the reach of an unexpecting Sasha Kaun. Arizona, still with Jerryd Bayless on the bench, responded with Budinger’s first three of the game, making it a four-point game.

Russell Robinson tried to respond with a three of his own, but Jawan McClellan took down the board. Arizona turned it back over, and it became a Sasha Kaun dunk thanks to a Robinson steal and dish.

11:24, first half, KU leads 20-9

Right out of the timeout, Brandon Rush slashed to the lane and fed Darnell Jackson, who turned around and flipped one in off the back of the iron. But Jerryd Bayless, Arizona’s leading scorer this season, camed down to hit a three and end a 13-0 KU run.

Rush came back down and aired a jumper at the free throw line with little lift on his jump. But Rod Stewart was there to corral it and drop it in off the glass.

Jamelle Horne then scored his first bucket off of a Daniel Dillon miss, but Mario Chalmers snatched back the momentum, using a crossover on Bayless to get to the rack. He then showed some serious emotion after dropping it in off the glass and drawing a foul. His free throw made it 18-9, KU.

Jackson then took in a rebound off of a Nic Wise miss. Both Budinger and Bayless were taking a rest, and KU kept going to work offfensively, with Arthur spilling one in off the back iron to put KU up 20-9 following a UA turnover heading into a TV timeout.

14:20, first half, KU leads 11-4

Sasha Kaun flipped the opening tip back to Russell Robinson. The ball bounced off of Kaun’s feet on an entry pass from Rod Stewart to make Arizona’s first possession result in a turnover.

Arizona’s first possession saw Chase Budinger go left with a dwindling shot clock against Rod Stewart and drop in a nice jumper to put the ‘Cats up 2-0.

Budinger controlled a board on the defensive end then after Darrell Arthur missed a baseline jumper. The two then swapped blank possessions, first Arizona with a Jordan Hill turnover and then KU with a Russell Robinson three miss.

After an offensive foul on Arizona, Mario Chalmers missed his first shot attempt of the game and it was corralled by Jordan Hill. Jerryd Bayless was then called for carrying the ball on the offensive end, but the ‘Cats picked him up by drawing a charge against Darrell ARthur on the other end.

Jawan McClellan then drove for Arizona on the offensive end, but was hooked by Mario Chalmers as KU registered its third early foul. Budinger made KU pay with another teardrop inside.

Jordan Hill was then called for his second foul of the game, grabbing Darrell Arthur’s jersey in the paint, and Budinger was quickly called for oone for holding after the inbounds pass, giving Arizona three early team fouls, too.

Arthur then put the Jayhawks on the board for the first time after taking in a lobbed pass to the paint from Chalmers, putting the bucket in off the glass.

Kirk Walters was forced into a miss underneath by Sasha Kaun on the other end, and Kaun then took a Russell Robinson pass in strong for a two-handed dunk to tie the game, 4-4.

Brandon Rush then checked in for Rod Stewart and Darnell Jackson came in for Kaun, and Rush was immediately assigned to Budinger.

Rush then took a long rebound off a Budinger miss, and came down without giving the ball up, stroking a three from the left wing to put KU up by three. Rush then had an open-court layin after Russell Robinson forced a Jerryd Bayless turnover on the other end, flipping the ball to Sasha Kaun. He fed Chalmers who handed it off to Rush for a double-pumped layup, putting KU up 9-4 and waking up a less-than-capacity crowd.

The two teams swapped missed shots after a 30-second Arizona timeout to regroup, but Darnell Jackson made it an 11-0 KU run with a soft jumper atop the key. Arizona was then called for a travel, keeping momentum with KU going into the game’s first full break.

Pregame

With a pair of projected first round picks and an interim head coach in place of Lute Olsen, who is currently on leave for personal matters, 3-1 Arizona carries its big name into Allen Fieldhouse tonight for a 7 p.m. tip with the No. 4 Jayhawks.

KU enters with a 4-0 record, averaging a blistering 92.75 points per game. But tonight is the Jayhawks’ first test of the season. It’s also a sort of warm-up for next Sunday’s non-con highlight at Southern Cal.

Arizona, led by interim head coach Kevin O’Neill, boasts a pair of studs in 6-foot-7 sophomore forward Chase Budinger and 6-foot-3 freshman point guard Jerry Bayless. Each is averaging 16-plus points for the Wildcats, who have back-to-back wins over UMKC and Adams State since losing at home to Virginia by three.

Where the Jayhawks have an advantage, though, is in the depth department. Even with a 70-percent Brandon Rush and an inactive Sherron Collins, the ‘Cats can ill-afford foul trouble early tonight. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. in front of a slow-filling crowd, still suffering from a football hangover.