Kansas guard Rylan Griffen (6) celebrates with Kansas guard Shakeel Moore (0) after a steal and a dunk by Moore during the second half against Arizona State on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

How did Kansas get out of the second half on Wednesday night having conceded just 13 points — its lowest total for a single half in 12 years?

To hear head coach Bill Self tell it, it had a lot to do with guard Shakeel Moore.

“I think to me, if I was going to pick an MVP of the game, I’d pick Shak,” Self said after KU finished off its come-from-behind 74-55 win over Arizona State at Allen Fieldhouse. “Just because of the energy that he brought. He doesn’t score a ton of points, but he makes plays that, to me, give teams confidence and spark energy as much as anything.”

Moore made two of those plays in rapid succession in that impressive second half, allowing KU to sustain its momentum at a key juncture.

Before Moore made his mark with about 12 minutes to go, the Jayhawks had already started to rattle the Sun Devils with oppressive full-court pressure.

“That’s kind of something we discussed yesterday when we did (the) scouting report,” guard Zeke Mayo said. “We kind of noticed a little bit that they have one ball handler. Other than that, a lot of their guys didn’t really handle pressure very well … Coach emphasized getting after them, picking up full court. It kind of messed with their offense a little bit.”

Self said part of the reason why the press was effective was that ASU didn’t have its full complement of players. Indeed, the Sun Devils only had seven to use on Wednesday and three of their starters played at least 37 minutes.

“The more you make them have to earn things and not give them times where they can rest, I think it makes it harder,” Self said. “And that’s one thing we wanted to do. We actually talked about that a lot in practice, that we were going to try to be different.”

One of the primary players responsible for imparting the pressure was Moore, who was starting his second straight game for the Jayhawks after a strong showing at UCF, and getting closer 100% healthy after an offseason foot injury.

With KU having claimed a narrow 49-45 lead but having recently conceded ASU’s first basket of the half — a 3-pointer by Adam Miller — Moore derailed the Sun Devils completely.

First, he stepped in front of a lackadaisical handoff from Amier Ali to Alston Mason in the backcourt and soared toward the basket for an immediate dunk.

“I don’t think I’ve got on the rim since injury,” he said, “and to be able to go out there and do that, it was super exciting.”

Mayo and teammate Rylan Griffen both said fans should expect more such dunks in the near future.

“I’ve practiced with him for a handful of months now,” Mayo said. “He’s been able to do that since I’ve seen him. He’s a freak of an athlete. His bounce is incredible.”

Mere moments after the slam, following a foul on KU, Griffen became the beneficiary of another opportunistic play by Moore.

This time, Moore slapped the ball away from Mason as his foe attempted to make a move toward the basket from the right wing. With ASU’s Jayden Quaintance in hot pursuit, Moore sent a bounce pass across the court to Griffen, who threw down a two-handed dunk of his own despite Quaintance’s valiant attempt at a block.

“I know that’s what Shak do. I played against him,” Griffen said, referencing their time as opponents in the SEC. “He probably done that to my team a few times. Those are the type of plays we need.”

Moore finished the game with eight points and those two steals.

“I thought those were huge plays,” Self said. “… Those were the two biggest plays, probably, (in) the second half from a defensive standpoint.”

The former national defensive player of the year semifinalist said his intensity in the second half originated from hearing a teammate say out of the halftime break, “We’re not losing at home.”

With his help, the Jayhawks bounced back from a rare loss in Lawrence on New Year’s Eve, continued their momentum from Sunday’s road victory at UCF, and will now have to take the intensity back on the road to Cincinnati for another away game on Saturday.

Eudora ? All the Ottawa High boys basketball team needed to do was foul Friday night against Eudora.A simple hold of an arm or a grab around the waist would have sufficed, with the Cyclones having two fouls to give.

Manhattan ? Veritas Christian earned a convincing 65-40 boys basketball victory over Flint Hills in part because of its three-point shooting.Flint Hills successfully limited the Eagles’ inside game on offense, so they switched to outside shooting Friday night.

The way Seabury Academy’s boys basketball team executed in the first and fourth quarters Friday night, Elwood shouldn’t have had a chance at victory.Yet, the Seahawks’ struggles in the middle 16 minutes made sure that not even a monstrous rally could help them climb out of the huge hole they dug as they lost, 59-51, to the Panthers at home.

SwimmingAll-Sunflower League teamFirst teamChris Sellon, Free State; Luke Tanner, SM East; John Cook, SM East; Cameron McKay, Olathe East; Anthony Portela, Free State; Brandon Barnds, SM East; Evan Coglizer, Olathe East; Cameron Johnson, Olathe East; Chase Torgerson, Free State; Michael Stalzer, SM East; Ryan Elsey, Olathe South; Ryam Meeker, SM North.

Kansas guard Shakeel Moore (0) gets up to celebrate with fans after the Jayhawks’ 74-55 comeback victory over Arizona State on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas guard Shakeel Moore (0) picks the pocket of Arizona State guard Alston Mason (1) during the second half on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas guard Shakeel Moore (0) delivers a dunk off a steal against Arizona State during the second half on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas guard Shakeel Moore (0) delivers a dunk after a steal against Arizona State during the second half on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug