Kansas vs. Kentucky: Score and Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

John Calipari's fourth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats (17-4) have played beyond their years at times during the 2016-17 season, but a relative lack of experience caught up with them Saturday. 

Matched up against the second-ranked Kansas Jayhawks (19-2) at Rupp Arena, the Wildcats fell short in a 79-73 loss that represented their second in as many games. 

Conversely, the Jayhawks savored a win—after the No. 18 West Virginia Mountaineers bested them Tuesday—thanks to the efforts of four double-figure scorers. 

Josh Jackson stood out with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and he converted a game-sealing layup with 1:07 remaining. 

DraftExpress' Mike Schmitz took note of Jackson's positive traits during the freshman's signature performance: 

Frank Mason III piled up a game-high 21 points on 9-of-18 shooting, while Devonte' Graham and Landen Lucas dropped 12 and 13 points, respectively. 

Malik Monk and Derek Willis paced Kentucky with 18 points apiece, and Isaiah Briscoe acquitted himself nicely as he posted 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists.  

And while the Wildcats couldn't solve Kansas in the second half, they were the stronger side at the start. 

After Kentucky's raucous home crowd broke the Guinness world record for the loudest indoor crowd roar before tipoff, according to the school's athletic department, the Wildcats burst out of the gate and established a double-digit lead by the midway point of the first half. 

De'Aaron Fox (10 points, two assists, five turnovers) kept the offense moving at a brisk pace by getting the Wildcats into their sets early in the shot clock, and Monk sealed possessions with buckets from all over the floor.

Supplementary contributions from Willis and Bam Adebayo (10 points, eight rebounds) helped keep the offense humming, which meant the Jayhawks had to battle back. 

And Kentucky's hot start didn't faze them. 

Although Kansas mustered a paltry .730 points per possession over the first 20 minutes, per the Kansas City Star's Jesse Newell, a tactical shift on defense put Kentucky in a bind, as Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde observed: 

As the Wildcats offense stalled, Kansas chipped away at a once-daunting deficit and narrowed the gap to five points before halftime. 

Jackson, in particular, was a driving force behind the Jayhawks' improved effort at both ends, according to ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman:

Kansas' zone continued to slow Kentucky's offense throughout the opening stages of the second half, which enabled the Jayhawks to storm all the way back and cling to a lead with under 10 minutes remaining.

During that fruitful run, the Jayhawks returned to their normal offensive equilibrium.

While a 0-of-8 shooting display from three capped Kansas' efficiency in the first half, it opened the second stanza by drilling four of its first six attempts from beyond the arc. 

Kansas proceeded to rip off an 11-0 run to take a 10-point lead with 4:41 remaining, and the Wildcats had no answer, with ball movement elusive and clean shots few and far between. 

ESPN's Seth Greenberg pointed to Kentucky's youth as a reason for its downfall in the second half:

In order to avoid a third straight loss Tuesday against the Georgia Bulldogs, the Wildcats will have to regroup and find ways to crack zone defenses. Their offense was too stale with the game on the line against Kansas, and an inability to keep the ball moving from side to side hindered their efficiency in a big way. 

Kansas, meanwhile, will be off until Wednesday—when the fifth-ranked Baylor Bears are slated to pay a visit to Allen Fieldhouse. 

Postgame Reaction

"I thought our zone won the game for us for one reason: It allowed Frank (Mason III) and Devonte' (Graham) to play 37 minutes for us and not be totally gassed," Kansas head coach Bill Self said, per USA Today's Nicole Auerbach.

Jackson agreed, according to SECCountry.com's Kyle Tucker: 

"

KU's Jackson: “It played into our favor to turn it into a half-court game. They thrive in transition." Says zone slowed down UK.

— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_AJC) January 29, 2017"

Self added that he thought his team "showed extreme upperclassmen leadership tonight," per the program's official Twitter account. 

The Wildcats couldn't say the same. 

"We're just not there yet," Briscoe explained, per UKAthletics.com's Guy Ramsey. "Like (Coach Cal) said, we got a team full of freshmen and sophomores and today Kansas' experience showed. They were down early, kept fighting. Give them credit, but a lot of that's on us."

However, Calipari told reporters he believes he knows where the Wildcats need to focus their attention following the loss, per the team's Twitter account: "You look at it as a coach and say, 'Where do we go? And what do we zero in on?' I think it's toughness."