Feb. 25, 2017: KU ties UCLA for most consecutive league titles as Bill Walton calls the game

Dwight Coleby has seemed like a different player the past couple of weeks, ever since he shed that bulky black brace that protected his surgically repaired left knee.

“He has more bounce,” Kansas coach Bill Self said after the Coleby, a seldom-used junior forward from the Bahamas, emerged as the unlikeliest of heroes in the Jayhawks’ 77-67 victory over Texas on Saturday at Frank Erwin Center.

“I think he feels better about his body and himself. He hasn’t felt well in a while. Think about it ... it’s been about 16 months since he’s been able to move the way he’s moving right now. I’m happy for him,” Self added.

Coleby, KU’s 6-foot-9, 240-pound junior transfer from Mississippi who was unable to practice during his redshirt transfer season at Kansas because of a torn ACL, scored a career-high tying 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting and grabbed four rebounds (with one blocked shot) while playing 13 minutes in Saturday’s victory, a win that gave KU the outright 2016-17 Big 12 championship.

Kansas has won 13 Big 12 crowns in a row, tying the NCAA record for consecutive Division I conference championships set by UCLA from 1967-79.

Coleby scored a team-leading 10 points (in eight minutes) the first half in helping the Jayhawks (26-3, 14-2) open a 40-31 halftime lead over the Longhorns (10-19, 4-12).

He had eight points in a 17-3 run that turned a 20-19 deficit at the 10:55 mark in the first half into a 36-23 lead at 4:41. Included was a hook shot, a dunk off a lob from Devonté Graham, two free throws and another dunk.

Coleby wasn’t finished, scoring on yet another dunk that gave Kansas a 40-27 lead with 57 seconds left in the half. His performance seemingly came out of nowhere. Coleby’s previous scoring high as a Jayhawk was six points versus UMKC on Dec. 6. (His other 12-point game came in his time at Mississippi.) In Big 12 action, he entered having scored four points total in six games.

He had grabbed 10 rebounds the entire Big 12 season.

“I felt great, felt great,” said Coleby, who appeared to enjoy a rare appearance in the interview room, playfully answering a reporter, who inquired whether Coleby felt as if he was “getting his explosiveness back.”

“Eh, yeah. Didn’t you see?” Coleby said to laughter from a dozen or so media members.

Coleby said he “had no idea” he’d be called upon to help combat Texas freshman center Jarrett Allen, who scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. Kansas’ starting big man, Landen Lucas, had eight points and eight boards in 27 minutes. Josh Jackson, who guarded Allen quite a bit, had 18 points and five boards with five assists in 38 minutes.

“Just being ready and focused ahead of time, doing scouting report and being prepared for the game,” Coleby said of secrets to being ready for extended duty. “Whenever my number is called, just be prepared to contribute. Just keep working and hopefully I’ll get better from here on.”

Self said Coleby, “was as good as anybody we had today in the time that he got. (He was) terrific. (He’s had a) great attitude. He was ready when his number was called.

“You guys can tell he looks a lot more athletic than he did two months ago,” Self added. “Hopefully we are going to see that player moving forward.”

Kansas junior guard Graham, who had four assists to go with 12 points, said Coleby has been emerging at practice.

“He hasn’t been playing that much this year with his knee,” Graham said. “He’s been working hard with treatment and rehab. His number was called today and he performed. I don’t think it’s a surprise,” Graham added. “We see it every day, going hard, going at Landen, Carlton (Bragg) and Mitch (Lightfoot). Today he showed it.”

The Jayhawks led by nine points at the half and at one point saw the lead dip to five in the second half, but they were able to build the margin back to 15 with 2:45 left and ultimately hand Texas its fifth straight loss.

“I got on Frank (Mason, 16 points, 39 minutes) and Devonté,” Self said of demanding a strong effort from teammates in trying to wrap up the undisputed league crown. “I said, ‘This is all on you today.’ I think they responded, (but) we did not have the same zip we normally have.”

Graham said the Jayhawks wanted to eliminate any possibility of sharing the crown with anybody else.

“That was our main focus, don’t come out flat because we got a share of the Big 12 title. We wanted to come here and win outright,” Graham said. “Coach preached to come in focused.”

Self had ESPN color analyst Bill Walton speak to the team at the shootaround in an attempt to build his players’ interest in the game. Walton starred at UCLA and in the NBA.

“I asked him if he led the league in assists ever. Twenty minutes later he was talking to our guys still,” Self joked.

Walton, by the way, stopped Coleby in the hall as Coleby was walking to the team bus. Walton extended his hand and said, “Congratulations,” to the Jayhawk big man.

The Jayhawks, who won their sixth straight game overall and stretched their winning streak over the Longhorns to seven games, will next meet Oklahoma at 8 p.m. on Monday at Allen Fieldhouse. It’s Senior Night for Lucas, Mason and Tyler Self.

This story was originally published February 26, 2017 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Feb. 25, 2017: KU ties UCLA for most consecutive league titles as Bill Walton calls the game."