KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Sprint Center erupted with Malik Newman's layup less than five minutes into the game Thursday. The innocuous Kansas sophomore was in the process of scoring 10 points in a four-possession span, and you remembered that in March, the phrase Kansas City Royal means the shade of blue that fills the glittering downtown arena.
You remembered that despite all the optimism over OSU's matchup against the Jayhawks, this always was going to be Mission: Impossible. The Cowboys in the regular season stunningly had swept Kansas — a Big 12 champion Kansas — but now needed to beat KU a third time to secure an NCAA Tournament berth.