photo by: AP Photo/Kevin Kolczynski

Kansas guard Shakeel Moore (0) reacts as they play Central Florida during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025 in Orlando, Fla.

The Kansas men’s basketball team mustered about as good a response as anyone could have possibly envisioned after losing its conference opener at home.

Sunday’s 99-48 evisceration of UCF set school records as the biggest road win in school history over a Division I opponent — in a league game, no less — and the most dominant performance by an away team in Big 12 Conference history.

But just as quickly as KU reset after its New Year’s Eve disappointment, it now has to attack its next game equally hard as the Big 12 schedule proceeds at a breakneck pace. After returning from its road trip slightly later than usual due to the weekend winter storm — the Jayhawks left Florida mid-morning on Monday and had to take the day off as a result — KU will welcome new conference foe Arizona State to Lawrence on Wednesday at 8 p.m.

“It was rough,” guard Shakeel Moore said of the schedule. “I’ve been there before, done it plenty of times where I’ve had to stay overnight, but it happens. It’s what we signed up for.”

ASU may be new to the conference, but it’s faced KU 11 times and holds a 6-5 advantage in the all-time series, with Bobby Hurley getting the better of Bill Self in their two matchups, a 95-85 victory over the second-ranked Jayhawks (an eventual Final Four team) in Lawrence during the 2017-18 season and an 80-76 result in Tempe, Arizona, the following year.

This year’s Sun Devils are hoping to advance past the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009. They’ve had an up-and-down start to the season so far, exemplified by their first two net-neutral Big 12 results: a 20-point loss at BYU on Dec. 31, immediately followed by a 20-point victory against Colorado on Saturday.

ASU played a nonconference slate largely defined by uncomfortably close nonconference wins over mid-major foes (Idaho State 55-48 on Nov. 5, Cal Poly 93-89 on Nov. 20, etc.), though the Sun Devils did earn a quality win over Saint Mary’s in the title game of the Acrisure Classic in Palm Desert, California, led by 19 points off the bench from freshman guard Joson Sanon.

Sanon, a five-star recruit in 2025 whom KU recruited and who initially reclassified and committed to Arizona before flipping to ASU, has averaged 13.5 points per game while serving as one of two Sun Devils shooting at least 48% from beyond the arc, along with fellow guard Adam Miller. (As a team, ASU is third in the Big 12 with a 37.6% 3-point percentage.) However, Sanon missed the CU game due to an ankle injury and Hurley labeled him a game-time decision for Wednesday, stating that “he desperately wants to play.”

The Sun Devils have another standout freshman in forward Jayden Quaintance, who is averaging 9.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and a league-leading 3.2 blocks per game. He forms a potent frontcourt duo with Ball State transfer Basheer Jihad (13.5 points).

“They score easy, they’re extremely long, very gifted physically — their entire team,” Self said.

One thing ASU doesn’t do is create extra possessions (an area in which KU excelled against UCF). Despite the efforts of Quaintance and Jihad, the Sun Devils are the worst offensive rebounding team in the Big 12 and 291st in the country with 9.2 per game. Considering KU is now the best defensive rebounding team in the league and No. 10 in the country, having just grabbed 41 defensive boards at UCF, second-chance points don’t seem like a probable path to success for ASU on Wednesday.

ASU is also tied with KU for last in the league in turnovers forced (11.8 per game) and alone in last in steals (six).

The Jayhawks have a chance to reestablish their dominance at Allen Fieldhouse after the rare misstep on Dec. 31.

“We know we dropped West Virginia, first game of conference, and we know we can’t let that happen in front of our fans, and we’re super ready to go,” Moore said.

No. 11 Kansas Jayhawks (10-3, 1-1 Big 12) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (10-3, 1-1 Big 12)

• Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, 8 p.m.

• Broadcast: ESPN2

• Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (in Lawrence, KLWN AM 1320 / K269GB FM 101.7 / KMXN FM 92.9)

Keep an eye out

Freshman phenoms: KU center Flory Bidunga’s stock has never been higher, after a six-block showing against UCF demonstrated his potential to develop into an elite rim protector in the long term, as well as his ability to play alongside teammate Hunter Dickinson in the short term. His battle with Quaintance, whom Self called “a different-looking dude,” will be one to watch whenever the two are on the floor at the same time. They consistently ranked among the top centers in the 2024 class and battled not just in the recruiting rankings but on the court, including on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit and the McDonald’s All American Game; Wednesday will be their first meeting at the collegiate level.

Well suited: Moore started his first game as a Jayhawk against UCF primarily because Self thought he was an ideal physical matchup for the Knights’ star guard Darius Johnson, and could in turn allow Dajuan Harris Jr. to take on Jordan Ivy-Curry. ASU doesn’t quite have the same firepower in the backcourt — particularly if Sanon is out — but Self said on Tuesday he plans to start Moore again. He praised the guard’s ability to establish a “defensive mindset right from the get-go.” Moore, for his part, has a preexisting familiarity with some of ASU’s personnel, having gone to high school with guard BJ Freeman and played against Miller in the SEC.

New kids on the block: How daunted will the Sun Devils be by the atmosphere at Allen Fieldhouse? Students still won’t be back in full force, but the building has been just as full and reasonably loud for winter-break games against Brown and West Virginia. ASU’s players will generally be experiencing the venue for the first time (although guard Alston Mason, an Overland Park native, previously played at Allen Fieldhouse during his year at Oklahoma). Colorado will get the same treatment on Feb. 11, as will ASU’s rival Arizona on March 8. Utah doesn’t visit the Fieldhouse this season. UCF, though it was in the league last year, also makes its first visit to Lawrence on Jan. 28.

Off-kilter observation

The men’s basketball game will form the second half of a doubleheader at Allen Fieldhouse after the KU women’s team hosts No. 11 TCU at 2 p.m., an uncommon occurrence that was also a result of the storm.