Kansas saves season by handing No. 2 Iowa State first loss

The No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones (16-1, 3-1 Big 12) are undefeated no more. 

On Tuesday, Iowa State traveled to Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan., and ran into a buzz saw. The Kansas Jayhawks (12-5, 2-2 Big 12) obliterated ISU, leading by as many as 26 in the first half and taking a 44-23 lead to the locker room. 

To their credit, the Cyclones rallied in the second half, closing the gap to just 11 with under 13 minutes to play. But Kansas weathered the storm and calmly extended its lead, holding on for a 84-63 win that will speak volumes come March and seems to save Kansas' season for now. 

Tre White led Kansas with 19 points, while Darryn Peterson (16) and Melvin Council Jr. (15) also chipped in for a balanced scoring effort. Five players reached double figures for Iowa State, but Joshua Jefferson and Jamarion Bateman's 12 were the best individual scoring efforts the Cyclones had. 

A tale of two shocking results

Even with the home crowd on its side, Tuesday's performance was still somewhat jarring for the Jayhawks, who were coming off an 86-75 road loss to West Virginia on Saturday and also lost to UCF, UConn, Duke and North Carolina earlier in the season. 

If Bill Self and the Jayhawks go on a run, Tuesday's game could be seen as the turning point. KU will stay at home and host Baylor on Jan. 16.  

Tuesday's result was also a shocker for Iowa State, given its dominant start to the season. The Cyclones were off to their best start in school history after earning wins over Mississippi State, St. John's, Creighton, Syracuse, Purdue and Iowa in non-conference play. ISU easily disposed of West Virginia, Baylor and Oklahoma State to start conference play, but it'll have to go back to the drawing board ahead of its Jan. 17 road game against Cincinnati.