LAWRENCE, Kan. -- There were moments of frustration for Kansas coach Bill Self, moments where hed angrily call a timeout or attend a post-game news conference and glumly bemoan another uneven performance. There never was a moment where he lost faith in his team. Now, after enduring the nations most brutal non-conference schedule, the sixth-ranked Jayhawks are proving to be exactly what the pundits thought theyd be: The Big 12s premier team, one that already has a substantial lead in the conference as the race nears its midway point. "We have grown, but were just now to the middle of the season. Thats whats so strange," Self said. "The big thing is that were playing with more energy and were starting to understand how were going to score -- not just running an offence to run an offence. Were not a tough team by any stretch, but are playing tougher than we did earlier in the season." Thats certainly been evident in the results. After a loss to fifth-ranked San Diego State ended the Jayhawks 68-game non-conference winning streak at Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas has ripped off seven straight wins through arguably the toughest part of its league schedule. It began with a win at No. 23 Oklahoma, and continued with wins over four straight teams that were ranked in the Top 25 -- Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Baylor. After a blowout win at TCU, the Jayhawks beat the No. 16 Cyclones for a second time on Wednesday night. Now, theyll head to No. 25 Texas with essentially a two-game lead in the Big 12. You catch the game on TSN2 on Saturday at 12am et/9pm pt. "Im not surprised at all," junior guard Naadir Tharpe said. "I knew it was going to be a matter of time until everybody just let water run off their back and start going out there and just playing. That is what I feel like dudes are doing right now." The most important of them may be Andrew Wiggins, the highly touted freshman. After fits and starts to begin his college career, the 6-foot-8 swingman and projected lottery pick in the June draft has gone on a tear. Wiggins scored a career-high 27 points in the win over the Horned Frogs, and then bested it with 29 points against the Cyclones earlier this week. Hes averaging more than 24 points over his past three games. "I would say I feel more comfortable on the court," Wiggins said this week. "A lot of things are slowing down for me and my teammates are looking for me." Hes also starting to create his own shot, something that he was reticent to do early in the season, prompting Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg to say hes "oozing with confidence. "Thats scary," Hoiberg said. "With that athleticism, that length and that speed, the kids got it all. When hes knocking down shots, not too many better." There arent many teams better than the Jayhawks right now. Since the start of league play, the nine-time defending champions are putting up a Big 12-leading 84 points per game. Theyre just a half-point out of second place in scoring defence, and their scoring margin of 12 points per game is seven better than second-place Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks (16-4, 7-0 Big 12) also lead the league in field-goal and 3-point percentage, rebounding defence and margin, blocked shots, assists and, well, you get the idea. "They have a special group," TCU coach Trent Johnson said. "At every position, they have somebody who can score. They can attack you, so you really have to be on your toes." After the Jayhawks, Texas may be the next hottest team in the Big 12 heading into Saturdays game. The Longhorns (16-4, 5-2) have rattled off five straight wins, the last three coming against ranked teams in Iowa State, Kansas State and Baylor. The Jayhawks will represent the first time in school history that Texas will have played four consecutive Top 25 opponents. "Theyre young. Theyre not quite as young as we are, but theyre young and fast, probably as fast as any team well play," Self said. "Theyre obviously playing their tails off." Trey Mancini Jersey . The turf is scheduled to give way to actual grass that is bright green, so we dont have to complain any more—we just have to wait a few years. Instead, do feel free to complain if the roof is closed for any reason other than to allow a game to be played. Baltimore Orioles Pro Shop . -- With the Memphis Grizzlies struggling to find their offensive rhythm, O. https://www.cheaporioles.com/348i-brande...ey-orioles.html. The 26-year-old Sobotka injured his left leg playing for the St. Louis Blues in a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. The Blues said he would not recover from the injury in time for the Olympic tournament. Cal Ripken Sr. Jersey . -- Manager Bob Melvin shuffled the Athletics batting order and got the type of production he was looking for from the top of the lineup. Austin Hays Jersey . Thats exactly what happened. And they enjoyed every moment. Durant remained sizzling with 33 points, Serge Ibaka added 22 and the Thunder roared back from an abysmal start -- they trailed 22-4 early -- to embarrass the Miami Heat 112-95 on Wednesday night, erasing that big deficit out of the gate by outscoring the two-time defending champions by 43 points over a 33-minute span.The Toronto Raptors have struggled in recent weeks and hope to snap out of it Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Raptors have lost eight of their last 11 games and are 1-1 on a three-game road trip. They defeated the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, then suffered a 92-86 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies tonight. You can watch the game live on TSN2 at 7pm et/4pm pt. Lou Williams scored 21 points off the bench and All-Star Kyle Lowry, a Philadelphia native, ended with 20 points for the Raptors. Jonas Valanciunas finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. Toronto, which still holds a comfortable 9 1/2-game lead in the Atlantic Division, shot just 31.8 percent and fell to 11-8 on the road. Once our offense catches up with our defense well be back to...winning more games, Lowry said. Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan, who recently missed 21 games with a groin injury and was held scoreless his previous two games, finished with six points on only 2-of-11 shooting. Valanciunas is listted as questionable Friday with a sore calf.dddddddddddd The Raptors will host the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Philadelphia has lost three in a row and five of its last six games, including Wednesdays 98-91 setback to the New York Knicks. Michael Carter-Williams led the Sixers with 27 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Robert Covington scored 17 points. Henry Sims chipped in 11 points and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds for the 76ers, who shot 36.7 percent from the floor and gave up 18 points on 14 turnovers. I was just trying to keep us in the game, Carter-Williams said. I was trying to keep it close and hopefully at the end we could squeeze it out. Sixers forward Nerlens Noel (illness) is probable Friday and forward Luc Mbah a Moute (knee) is questionable. Philadelphia is just 3-17 at home and will visit the Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans next. The Sixers have lost the first two meetings with the Raptors this season and will host them on March 2. ' ' '
