The college basketball season provided yet another top-5 showdown on Friday night, this from the NIT Season Tip-Off, as the second-ranked Kansas Jayhawks stayed perfect with another headline victory. Dedric Lawson had 24 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists, to help Kansas hold off the fifth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, 87-81, in overtime. The win improves Kansas to 5-0 on the season, as they rallied from a halftime deficit to force overtime, where they outscored the Vols, 18-12.
The Jayhawks made half of their shots on the night, including a crucial 8-0 run in the second half to rally and tie things up at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Lagerald Vick chipped in 15 points and came up with crucial plays to lead the Jayhawks' second half surge. After the win, Lawson was named the MVP of the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament.
Adimiral Schofield finished the night with 21 points and six rebounds for Tennessee, who suffered their first loss in five games this season. Grant Williams added 18 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, but was not a factor down the stretch after fouling out in the second half. The Vols did also get 16 points from Jordan Bone, but that was not enough to pull off what would've been the second top-2 upset of the week.
The Jayhawks' rally was officially complete when they tied things up with 7:39 to play, but they also had to tie things up with 1:24 to play in regulation. That would remain the same until overtime, as Kansas earned their second straight win in the tournament after beating Marquette. The Volunteers were coming off a victory over the Louisville Cardinals, who fell to Marquette, 77-74, on Friday.
The Jayhawks will be back home next Saturday when they host the Stanford Cardinal, while the Volunteers will be home on Wednesday night to take on Eastern Kentucky.
The Jayhawks made half of their shots on the night, including a crucial 8-0 run in the second half to rally and tie things up at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Lagerald Vick chipped in 15 points and came up with crucial plays to lead the Jayhawks' second half surge. After the win, Lawson was named the MVP of the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament.
Adimiral Schofield finished the night with 21 points and six rebounds for Tennessee, who suffered their first loss in five games this season. Grant Williams added 18 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, but was not a factor down the stretch after fouling out in the second half. The Vols did also get 16 points from Jordan Bone, but that was not enough to pull off what would've been the second top-2 upset of the week.
The Jayhawks' rally was officially complete when they tied things up with 7:39 to play, but they also had to tie things up with 1:24 to play in regulation. That would remain the same until overtime, as Kansas earned their second straight win in the tournament after beating Marquette. The Volunteers were coming off a victory over the Louisville Cardinals, who fell to Marquette, 77-74, on Friday.
The Jayhawks will be back home next Saturday when they host the Stanford Cardinal, while the Volunteers will be home on Wednesday night to take on Eastern Kentucky.
