Jayhawks do just enough to win at TCU

Kansas guard Frank Mason III (0) gets to the bucket against TCU during the first half at Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015 in Fort Worth, Texas.

• Box score

Wednesday’s game at TCU featured some unusual lineups and all kinds of fouls and ebbs and flows, but the No. 9-ranked Kansas University men’s basketball team did enough good things at enough key moments to hold off the Horned Frogs, 64-61, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Playing in TCU’s half-full, temporary home court — TCU’s on-campus arena is undergoing a $59 million makeover — the Jayhawks jumped out early and then saw foul trouble force Landen Lucas, Hunter Mickelson and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk into key first-half minutes. That allowed the Horned Frogs to hang around and KU led 36-30 at halftime.

TCU jumped out quicker in the second half and, backed by a 7-0 run to start it, even took a couple of leads in the first few minutes. But those leads were short-lived and KU, led by sophomore guard Frank Mason III, quickly jumped back in front and never looked back.

As good as KU’s offense was to reclaim the lead and build a bit of a cushion, it was KU’s defense that allowed the Jayhawks to take control. Kansas limited TCU to one field goal during a nine-minute stretch of the second half and KU rode that wave to their sixth Big 12 victory over the season, even if there were a few forgettable moments in the final 90 seconds.

The victory improved KU to 17-3 overall and 6-1 in Big 12 play. TCU, which showed that it is a much improved team over the version we’ve seen the past couple of seasons, fell to 14-6 overall and 1-6 in Big 12 play.

Here’s a quick look back at some of the action:

• The game turned when: KU ripped off a 12-0 run midway through the second half to turn a one-possession game into a nine-point KU lead. Mason and Devonté Graham both had big buckets during the run and KU’s defense made life miserable for the Horned Frogs’ offense.

• Offensive highlight: With just under four minutes to play in the first half and a somewhat offensively challenged Kansas lineup on the floor, Wayne Selden Jr., threw down a monster dunk after a missed transition layup by Mykhailiuk, who was in the game with Lucas, Mickelson, Mason and Selden, largely because of first-half foul trouble. Selden’s dunk put KU up 31-22 with 3:52 to play in the half, but, perhaps more importantly, gave Selden a reminder of what it feels like to finish at the rim again.

• Defensive highlight: Jamari Traylor strikes again. It might not have been as prolonged as his hustle display at Texas last weekend, but with just over eight minutes to play and KU leading by nine, Traylor battled for a defensive rebound, got bumped out of bounds and dove to save the ball from going out of bounds. The save went right to a TCU player and Traylor went right to the deck. Not wasting a second, Traylor got right back up, jumped back into the action and recorded a blocked shot.

• Key stat: Free-throw shooting. The Jayhawks only got there 19 times (and made 13 for 68.4 percent), but was the Horned Frogs’ nightmare performance at the line that helped make this a comfortable win for Kansas. TCU finished just 15-of-29 (51.7 percent) from the free throw line.

• Up next: The Jayhawks return home Saturday for a 1 p.m. match-up with Sunflower State rival Kansas State on ESPN. The meeting will be the first between the two Kansas programs this season, and, two days later, the Jayhawks will welcome Iowa State to town for a Big Monday rematch with the Cyclones.

— See what people were saying about the narrow KU win during the KUsports.com live blog.