DAJUAN HARRIS

Kansas’ best two players were neutralized for long stretches, its point guard played on a sprained ankle in the second half, and the Jayhawks once again were without their Hall of Fame coach, Bill Self.

Jalen Wilson had 20 points and seven rebounds for No. 1 seed and defending national champion Kansas in a 96-68 victory over Howard.

Kansas is the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s West Region and will have coach Bill Self back on the sideline.

Jalen Wilson had 20 points, Kevin McCullar Jr. added 16 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 8 Kansas avenged a loss to Kansas State just a couple of weeks ago with a 90-78 victory over the seventh-ranked Wildcats.

Jalen Wilson hit five 3-pointers and scored 22 points, MJ Rice added 19 and No. 9 Kansas beat Texas Southern 87-55 on Monday night.

Santiago Vescovi scored 20 points while No. 22 Tennessee locked down on third-ranked Kansas to beat the reigning national champions 64-50 in the championship game at the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Bill Self went from the Hall of Fame coach who too often failed on the big stage to the brilliant mastermind of the biggest second-half comeback in NCAA title game history.

Kansas finished off the biggest comeback in national championship history Monday night, getting a big game from David McCormack, crucial shots from Remy Martin and surviving a potential game-tying 3-pointer by Caleb Love at the buzzer for a 72-69 victory over North Carolina in the Superdome.

Remy Martin had 15 points and Christian Braun 14 to lead five players scoring in double figures for top-seeded Kansas, and the Jayhawks opened their 50th NCAA Tournament with an 83-56 victory over Texas Southern.

Timmy Allen scored 24 points and his long jumper from just beyond the free throw line with 21 seconds left put Texas ahead before Marcus Carr’s free throws sealed a 79-76 win over No. 8 Kansas on Monday night.

Mustapha Amzil hit a running jumper in the lane at the buzzer, and Dayton beat No. 4 Kansas 74-73.

3 seed Kansas. 14 seed Eastern Washington 93-84 on Saturday to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Compounding problems for Kansas: Garrett, one of the nation's best defenders, picked up his third foul before the break. AdThey finally did midway through the second half. But the Eagles' defense let them down in the second half, when Kansas began getting open looks and knocking them down.