It was a must for the No. 17 Kansas Jayhawks to get off on the right foot to begin their 2025-26 conference play.
Ultimately, an astounding 81 points by the UCF Golden Knights put an end to any chance of that with an all-around effort that resulted in an upset 81-75 loss to send Kansas stumbling out of the blocks.
The Jayhawks trailed by as many as nine points with 4:59 to play, however, Kansas clawed their way back to tie the game at 70 apiece, until a timely 9-5 stretch, mostly led by Jordan Burks and Riley Kugel pushed the game away from arms length, before two garbage time free-throws added the 80th and 81st point to seal Kansas’ fourth defeat of the season.