Kansas basketball’s win vs Iowa State included this standout play
LAWRENCE — Following Kansas basketball’s 84-63 win Tuesday, Jan. 13, at home against No. 2 Iowa State, KU coach Bill Self addressed what qualities his side showcased that are sustainable moving forward.
One thing that came to mind more than anything was Self seeing the No. 25 Jayhawks play aggressively with freshman guard Darryn Peterson in the game — something that hadn’t really happened before this season. Another was Self shortened the rotation, helping guys like redshirt sophomore guard Jamari McDowell get into a rhythm against the Cyclones. Self also thought KU made less mistakes defensively, and its intensity level was better.
But as Self talked about all of that, he also highlighted a hustle play redshirt sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson made in the first half as the play of the game. Jackson avoided allowing an Iowa State defender to turn him over, dove on the court for the ball, passed it to McDowell and watched McDowell eventually get the ball to senior guard Tre White for a 3-pointer that put KU up 17-9 with a little less than 12 minutes left in the first half.
Self would call it the best play anyone’s made for Kansas this season, in an effort that saw more than just Jackson stand out.
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“On the board, before the game, you go over things,” Self said. “I put, ‘Get on the floor,’ then something else, then, ‘Get on the floor,’ then something else, then, ‘Get on the floor,’ then something else, then ‘Get on the floor,’ trying to prove a point about — basketball’s a game of 50-50 balls. If you get the majority of them, you have a better chance to win. And I don’t know what the numbers were, but I think we were much better in that area.”
Self acknowledged what set the play off was a potentially regrettable moment for Jackson, as the Cyclones (16-1, 3-1 Big 12) were in position to get two points on a fast break. But Jackson did what Self thought everyone should, and fight back to recover, as instead the Jayhawks (12-5, 2-2) increased their lead by three points. It helped provide a spark for KU in the first half in this Big 12 Conference upset.
Jackson finished the game with eight points, four steals and two assists as he continued to illustrate what kind of an asset he can be on the defensive end. Coming off the bench, he was able to get to the free-throw line and finished 5-for-6 there — leading Kansas in that respect against Iowa State. He and McDowell were the two key options off of the bench in the Jayhawks’ shortened rotation.
Now, Kansas can look ahead to a home game Friday against Baylor and the desire to continue to compete with the level of energy Jackson had in his standout play. According to Peterson, plays like that were something Self talked to the team about ahead of the game. Peterson considers Self one of the best coaches in the game, so they have every reason to listen to him.
“That one play kind of sums up our identity,” White said. “We want to be, like, a grit and grime kind of team, one of the toughest teams that you know you’re going to play. And I feel like that play kind of explained it all right there.”
Jan. 13, 2026; Lawrence, Kansas; Kansas basketball guard Elmarko Jackson (13) shoots against Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson (5) during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball’s win vs Iowa State features Elmarko Jackson's play
