OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Pop Isaacs helped unranked Creighton beat No. 1 Kansas 76-63 on Wednesday night, scoring a season-high 27 points and tying his career high with six three-pointers.
Kansas cut its 13-point deficit to one early in the second half, but Isaacs scored three straight points to rebuild the lead as the Bluejays (6-3) pulled away for their second straight victory over an opponent leading. They beat Connecticut 85-66 in Omaha in February.
The Jayhawks (7-1) lost a regular-season game to an unranked non-conference opponent for the first time in three years. Creighton had appeared in 16 consecutive Associated Press polls before dropping out this week after losses in three of its previous four games.
Students rushed onto the field at the final buzzer as flames burst from the top of the goalposts.
Isaacs’ shooting display overshadowed what was supposed to be the featured matchup between two of the nation’s best big men, 7-foot-1 Ryan Kalkbrenner and the Jayhawks’ 7-2 Hunter Dickinson.
Isaacs was 10 of 15 from the field, including 6 of 9 from 3, and added seven rebounds and four assists in his best performance since transferring from Texas Tech in the offseason.
Kalkbrenner, who missed the Bluejays’ previous game with a lower-body injury, and Steven Ashworth, who is still feeling the effects of a sprained ankle two weeks ago, each scored 17 points.
The Jayhawks struggled offensively and never led. Dajuan Harris had 15 points and AJ Storr and Zeke Mayo added 12 apiece for Kansas, which shot 36 percent.
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