Kansas shocks No. 1 Arizona: Shorthanded Jayhawks hand Wildcats their first loss of season

Kansas delivered an 82-78 upset win over No. 1 Arizona on Monday at Phog Allen Fieldhouse as the Wildcats lost for the first time this season. Melvin Council Jr. and Flory Bidunga combined to score 32 of Kansas’ 39 second-half points after star guard Darryn Peterson was ruled out due to flu-like symptoms following the pregame shootaround less than 30 minutes before tipoff.

Kansas freshman Bryson Tiller had another strong outing in a big moment and finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. Tiller had his best game of the season last month against BYU when he scored 21 points, while Peterson missed a majority of the second half due to cramping.

Kansas (19-5, 9-2 Big 12) has won eight consecutive games since losing to West Virginia on the road last month. The Jayhawks are just a game behind Arizona for first place in the Big 12 standings and improved to 57-0 when playing at home on Mondays under coach Bill Self.

With the loss, Miami (Ohio) is the final undefeated team remaining in the sport. Arizona (23-1, 10-1)  was off to the best start in Big 12 history before Kansas’ victory.