Devonte Graham leads Kansas to victory in rematch with Oklahoma
If Kansas goes on to capture its 12th consecutive conference title next month, the Jayhawks may declare Saturday's brilliant performance from Devonte Graham the turning point.
The junior guard was indispensable throughout Kansas' 76-72 road victory at third-ranked Oklahoma in the rematch of their epic triple-overtime thriller from five weeks ago.
Awarded the unenviable assignment of defending national player of the year favorite Buddy Hield, Graham shadowed the Oklahoma star relentlessly and held him without a first-half field goal. Hield caught fire from behind the arc midway through the second half, but Graham still chased him around every screen and made him work for each of his 24 points.
It would have been understandable if all the energy Graham expended on defense left him too fatigued to contribute offensively, but the Kansas guard was actually his team's top scoring threat. With Wayne Selden struggling through an off shooting night and Perry Ellis also quiet, Graham scored a career-high 27 points and sank six 3-pointers.
None of Graham's threes were bigger than the two he hit late in the second half after a momentum-changing four-point play by Oklahoma's Jordan Woodard fouled Kansas point guard Frank Mason out and put the Sooners ahead by three. Graham first answered with a game-tying top-of-the-key 3-pointer on his team's next possession. Then Graham struck again two possessions later, taking a handoff from Perry Ellis and burying a corner 3-pointer to give Kansas the lead for good.
Oklahoma had a chance to tie on its final two possessions, but neither Hield nor fellow guard Isaiah Cousins could come through in the clutch. First the national player of the year candidate had the second of two foul shots rim out with 25.3 seconds to go, leaving his team still trailing by a point. Then Cousins missed a three on the Sooners' ensuing possession after two free throws by Graham extended the Kansas lead to three.
Kansas' victory is a huge step toward the Jayhawks extending their remarkable conference title streak. With six games left in the regular season, the Jayhawks (21-4, 9-3) are now tied for first place with West Virginia (20-5, 9-3) and a full game clear of the Sooners (20-4, 8-4).
The one-game cushion over the Sooners could be critical because Kansas' remaining schedule is not easy. The Jayhawks still have road games left at Baylor, Texas and Kansas State as well as a home game against an Iowa State team that already beat them in Ames.
A huge game from Graham on a big stage is the culmination of his rise from mid-major prospect to impact player at Kansas.
Having originally signed with Appalachian State in Nov. 2012, Graham asked to get out of his letter of intent when bigger programs began to show interest in him after he had more success than anticipated as a senior at Raleigh (N.C.) Broughton High. Appalachian State refused to release him, so he spent a year in prep school before signing with Kansas.
Graham came off the bench as a freshman before entering the starting lineup this season alongside Mason to give Kansas a two point guard look. He has enjoyed a handful of nice moments, but none bigger than his performances against Oklahoma.
In the first meeting between the two teams, Graham had 22 points. On Saturday, he even managed to top that.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
