Kansas guard AJ Storr (2) gets inside for a bucket against UCF during the first half on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas City, Mo. — The Kansas men’s basketball team found out — as the college basketball adage goes — just how hard it is to beat the same opponent three times.

KU appeared set to coast to victory in its first game of the Big 12 tournament against UCF on Wednesday night when it took a 61-48 lead on a 3-pointer by AJ Storr with just under 14 minutes remaining.

The No. 14 seed Knights, who had just beaten Utah with a 22-1 run on Tuesday, erased that lead with a 3-point bombardment. The Jayhawks battled back to lead late before conceding a game-tying 3 to UCF’s Jordan Ivy-Curry in the final minute.

Faced with its second overtime game of the season, KU preserved its run through the Big 12 tournament. Moustapha Thiam came up short on a right-block floater in the final seconds of overtime, and the Jayhawks survived the Knights, 98-94, at the T-Mobile Center.

Zeke Mayo scored 24 points and added eight rebounds to lead the Jayhawks, who survived Dajuan Harris Jr. and Storr both fouling out in overtime. Storr scored a season-high 19, while Hunter Dickinson posted a 23-point, 13-rebound double-double and KJ Adams added 15 and seven boards.

Adams drew the tough defensive assignment on Hall, who posted 25 points to lead all players. Darius Johnson added 22 before fouling out himself.

For KU, Zeke Mayo opened the scoring with consecutive 3-pointers and a floater for a solo 8-0 run that forced an early timeout by UCF, as all other players in the game were a combined 0-for-7.

After the break, Johnson got the Knights on the board with a pair of elegant drives into the paint. The Jayhawks’ offense ran out of steam and Keyshawn Hall drained a 3-pointer over Flory Bidunga to tie the game at 16.

The long-dormant Storr, who hadn’t scored in double since Jan. 22, gave KU a spark off the bench with a trio of tough shots and an assist to Hunter Dickinson, but Hall continued to torment anyone who switched onto him defensively other than KJ Adams.

KU went back up six points on a physical three-point play by Adams, and Bidunga gave the Jayhawks a slew of second-chance opportunities with hard-won offensive rebounds.

After Hall hit a 3 to cut UCF’s deficit to 34-32 and force a timeout by Bill Self, the Knights briefly and unsuccessfully went to a zone that they had deployed to some effect on Tuesday against Utah. Storr contributed again with a left-wing 3 of his own, but Thiam contributed a pair of key buckets for the Knights in the final stages of the half and KU botched its end-of-half play.

Hall immediately evened the score with another 3 on UCF’s first possession of the second half.

Dickinson, who had been limited to three points in the first half, scored 10 points, including a pair of 3s, as part of a 15-6 run. He also assisted when David Coit connected from the corner, and AJ Storr followed suit from the same corner out of a UCF timeout.

That gave KU its largest lead of the night at 13 points, but the Knights found a response with 3-pointers of their own from Thiam, Dallan “Deebo” Coleman and Tyler Hendricks and took their first lead of the night with 9:20 to go.

The Jayhawks trailed by three when they used a four-point possession, aided by a flagrant 1 foul on Johnson, to claim the lead, and then Harris set up Adams for a transition dunk to make it 74-71 in KU’s favor.

KU managed to claw its way to a two-possession lead, but Hall cut it to one point when he corralled a loose ball in the corner and sank his fourth 3 of the night.

A series of fouls put both teams in the bonus as they traded free throws. With 1:13 to go and the Jayhawks ahead 81-80, Johnson fouled out trying to guard Adams in the post. Adams made both shots from the line, and Thiam bounced the ball past a teammate and out of bounds.

KU had the ball inside of a minute left with a chance to go up two scores, but Adams’ attempt at a pull-up jumper rattled out, and Ivy-Curry drained a straight-on 3 to tie the game.

The Jayhawks had possession with 9.6 seconds left, but Adams stepped out of bounds trying to pass to a teammate. With 4.3 seconds of their own, the Knights couldn’t get a great look for Ivy-Curry, who airballed a contested 3 to send the game to overtime.

The Jayhawks led 88-85 with 3:10 to go in overtime when Harris fouled out himself, bringing Coit into action.

Storr briefly gave KU a five-point lead with a transition layup, but the Knights had another response from beyond the arc, this time by Nils Machovski.

With 27 seconds to go, Hall was charging down the court in an attempt to tie the game, only to fumble the ball away when Adams managed to get back in transition.

Storr made a pair of free throws to put KU up 94-90, but then he fouled Ivy-Curry. Not only was it his fifth of the night, but it yielded a three-point play.

After Thiam’s miss, Dickinson made one of two free throws to leave the door open for the Knights.

Coleman made his first, but his attempt to miss the second didn’t hit the rim. Coit made the final two shots from the line.

KU advances to play No. 3 seed Arizona on Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. The Jayhawks beat the Wildcats 83-76 on Saturday.