A perfect 7-0 with Udoka Azubuike in the starting lineup in 2018-19, Kansas is 1-0 without Azubuike, the 7-foot junior center from Nigeria.
The No. 2-ranked Jayhawks, playing the first of what likely will be at least five games minus the elite big man, rallied from a two-point halftime deficit and seven-point deficit with 10:45 left to down unranked New Mexico State 63-60 on Saturday night at the Sprint Center.
Dedric Lawson scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Jayhawks (8-0), who upended an Aggie team (7-2) picked to win the Western Athletic Conference.
Junior forward Lawson scored 14 points in a row for KU from about the 6 minut mark in, helping KU turn a four-point deficit into a 60-57 lead at 2:44, 62-59 lead with 51.