Jacque Vaughn’s game winner in OT, NCAA tourney contests highlight KU-Indiana series

Blue-blood college basketball programs Kansas and Indiana, teams that rank No. 1 and No. 10, respectively, on the sport’s all-time wins list, have met just 14 times throughout history.

Winners of six of the last eight games in the series, the Jayhawks have a losing record (6-8) versus the Hoosiers. Indiana won the first six contests played in a span between 1940 and 1974. KU dominated games that were contested from 1981 to 2016.

Here’s a look at games played between Indiana and Kansas in advance of Saturday’s nonconference clash between the No. 8-ranked Jayhawks (9-1) and No. 14 Hoosiers (8-2). The game will tip at 11 a.m. at Allen Fieldhouse and be shown live on ESPN2.

These games are listed in no particular order.

Kansas 86, IU 83 (OT), Dec. 22, 1993 in Lawrence: McDonald’s All-American point guard Jacque Vaughn, in just the 11th game of his college career, drilled a game-winning three with 0.2 seconds left in overtime to propel No. 6-ranked KU to victory over No. 12 Indiana at Allen Fieldhouse.

To set the scene … Vaughn accepted an inbounds pass at 3/4 court with 18.3 seconds to play following a three by IU’s Damon Bailey that tied the game at 83.

Vaughn reached halfcourt at 0:16 and dribbled in front of coach Roy Williams near the KU bench. Vaughn took several steps back and, with 7.9 seconds remaining, made his move all the way to the opposite side of the court, where he stopped just a step behind the three-point stripe.

Instead of passing, Vaughn went straight up and released a three over the arms of IU’s Todd Leary with 2.7 seconds to play. Showing perfect form, Vaughn swished the three at 0.2 seconds. IU had time to inbound a desperation heave that was broken up at midcourt as the buzzer sounded.

The Jayhawks had defeated the Hoosiers thanks to the heroics of Vaughn, who now is the 47-year-old head coach of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.

“I think I’ll remember that one for a long time,” Vaughn told reporters earlier this week, when asked about the shot. “I was a little baby freshman without this beard. It ended up I didn’t want to turn the ball over and couldn’t get the ball to the seniors who were on the floor.

“I ended up getting the ball to the right side and was guarded by I believe Damon Bailey (36 points that day, including 30 after halftime) who was highly regarded as a point guard. I ended up giving him a little pump fake and shot that thing and miraculously that thing went in.”

Vaughn — he scored 13 points on 3-of-8 shooting (2-of-4 threes) and dished five assists that day — was recruited heavily by Indiana.

“For sure,” Vaughn said of the Hoosiers showing interest. “I was in the same league (in California) as a guy named Richard Mandeville. He (Mandeville) started recruiting me on (the fact) we could go to Indiana together and that’s how I got Indiana in my top five. I had coach (Bob) Knight at my house for a visit but decided to go to Kansas.”

Bailey made two free throws to start the overtime and give the Hoosiers a 72-70 lead. The teams traded baskets until KU’s Sean Pearson hit a three-pointer, Bailey missed a shot and KU senior Steve Woodberry connected with 30.2 seconds to play for an 83-80 Kansas lead.

Bailey tied it with his three w,hich preceded Vaughn’s heroics.

Right after the game, Vaughn explained the final play this way: “I wanted to get the ball to Steve (Woodberry) and let all the burden be on his shoulders.”

Woodberry had seven of his 13 points in overtime.

“I couldn’t find him. I saw 4.2 seconds left. What else could I do? I dribbled, gave Leary a pump fake and let go of the ball,” Vaughn added at the time.

KU coach Roy Williams said after the big win: “Sometimes special people are put in places to make special things happen and that young man did. It’s a moment he’ll remember the rest of his life. But that was a shot and a prayer. His prayer was answered. I’d rather throw it inside.”

Richard Scott scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Patrick Richey added 12 points and Scot Pollard 10 points for KU. Meanwhile, Bailey, Alan Henderson and Pat Graham combined for 74 of IU’s 83 points.

KU 83, Indiana 77, March 27, 1993 in St. Louis: This was one of the biggest victories in Williams’ 15 seasons at KU, as the Jayhawks prevailed in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional final at St. Louis Arena.

Indiana entered 31-3 and as the regional’s top-seeded team. The Jayhawks entered 28-6 and as a No. 2 seed.

Scott scored 16 points, Eric Pauley had 13 and Rex Walters and Darrin Hancock scored 12 apiece. Adonis Jordan added 11 for KU.

IU’s Calbert Cheaney scored 22 points and grabbed nine boards, while Greg Graham contributed 23 points and Brian Evans had 10 points while playing with a broken thumb on his non-shooting hand.

This was a regional in which KU coach Williams kept the Jayhawks relaxed by bringing them to the banks of the Mississippi River to spit in the river for good luck before the Sweet 16 win over Louisville. The Jayhawks returned to the river before the IU game.

“The Mississippi River trick worked again,” Williams said after the Elite Eight game. “Thank goodness the Mississippi River runs all the way down to New Orleans (site of the Final Four). We’ll try it again down there.”

IU coach Knight said: “I really thought, without any question, Kansas was the better team. Mostly what we did was just hang in there.”

Indiana 103, Kansas 99 (OT), Nov. 11, 2016 in Honolulu, Hawaii: Junior guard James Blackmon scored 22 of his 26 points after halftime as the No. 11-ranked Hoosiers tripped No. 3 Kansas in the season opener for both teams.

KU senior point guard Frank Mason, who scored 30 points with nine assists and seven rebounds, almost willed KU to victory in scoring the Jayhawks’ final 11 points of regulation. He hit 13 of 15 free throws, including a pair with two seconds to play to force overtime against a Tom Crean-coached IU team that trailed by as many as nine points the second half.

Blackmon scored seven of Indiana’s 14 points in overtime. He hit a three-pointer from the right wing that gave Indiana a 97-93 lead. Blackmon scored IU’s final four points, including a dunk to conclude the scoring in a game in which there were 16 ties and 17 lead changes.

Thomas Bryant scored 19 points (with 10 rebounds), while Curtis Jones had 15 points. OG Anunoby added 13 for Indiana. Devonté Graham scored 16 points for KU, while Carlton Bragg and Svi Mykhailiuk scored 12 apiece. KU went 30-of-38 from the free throw line to IU’s 26-of-36 from the line.

“That was a March game,” Crean told ESPN after the game. “We found a way to win against a great team.”

KU coach Bill Self said: “We didn’t play well, but give Indiana credit. Their guards really got in the lane when they wanted to. We competed hard down the stretch, but physically they just beat us on the glass and made hard shots at the end of the clock.”

Kansas opened the season away from Allen Fieldhouse for the first time since 2001, when it lost to Ball State 93-91 in the opening round of the Maui Invitational. This Armed Forces Classic game was hosted by the Navy. It coincided with the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Indiana’s jerseys were inscribed with “Courage,” while the Kansas jerseys read “Honor.” Kansas coaches wore military-style boots for the game.

KU 83, Indiana 65, March 21, 1991 in Charlotte, North Carolina: The No. 3-seeded Jayhawks clicked early against the No. 2 seed Hoosiers in a Southeast Regional Sweet 16 game at Charlotte Coliseum. KU scored the game’s first seven points and led 26-6 after eight minutes. The Jayhawks were ahead 49-27 at halftime and by 24 points early in the second half.

“I think our whole team was surprised that we got out to such a big lead,” said KU senior guard Terry Brown, who scored 11 of Kansas’ first 16 points and tied Indiana’s Cheaney with a game-high 23 points. “I think it showed us that Indiana wasn’t as good as everyone said they were. It gave us a lot of confidence.”

KU outrebounded IU 42-23 (20-10 on offensive rebounds).

“My first comment would be not only how well they played, but how well they were prepared to play,” Knight said after the worst defeat for an Indiana team in 56 NCAA tournament games. With about five minutes left in the first half, (ref) John Clougherty told me there was a screw loose on the floor. I said, ‘Can we start again tomorrow?’’’

Indiana 80, KU 61, Dec. 17, 1994, in Bloomington, Indiana: The unranked Hoosiers crushed the No. 3-ranked Jayhawks to the delight of 17,154 fans at Assembly Hall.

Forward Brian Evans scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while forward Alan Henderson scored 22 points with 12 boards. Guard Neil Reed scored 14 points for IU, which outrebounded KU, 57-40.

Jerod Haase scored 16 points, while B.J. Williams had 11 points and Raef LaFrentz added 10 for KU. Vaughn scored eight points with eight assists and eight rebounds.

The Hoosiers rolled to a 48-25 halftime lead.

“I think Indiana was much more enthused, was much more aggressive, much more intense, and much more focused than we were,” KU coach Williams said. “Every phase of the game we had breakdowns, and in the first half they took advantage. ... Everything that could go wrong did.”

For some reason, IU coach Knight didn’t speak with reporters after that victory, sending an assistant coach to the interview room.

KU, 91, Indiana 83, Dec. 16, 1995 in Kansas City: Forward Scot Pollard scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as No. 1-ranked Kansas prevailed at Kemper Arena. Forward Paul Pierce scored 21 points and secured eight rebounds, while Haase had 19 points, Vaughn had 14 points and forward LaFrentz scored 11 points.

Forward Brian Evans led the Hoosiers with 26 points and six rebounds, while guard Neil Reed had 18 points.

KU went on a 12-2 run to open the second half and grab a 19-point lead. IU would cut the deficit to seven points down the stretch.

“Coach Knight said he really likes our club and was interested in what I thought about their club. He’s always been very positive with me,” KU coach Williams said after the game. “I respect him a great deal, I like him a great deal, and I try to steal more and more things from him every year, because I like the way they play.”

This game concluded a four-year, four-game series between the teams in which coach Williams’ KU teams won three of four from Knight’s IU teams.

KU 74, Indiana 69, Dec. 5, 1992 in Indianapolis: Walters and Jordan scored 16 points apiece, while Woodberry and Scott had 13 points apiece in a game between No. 2 IU and No. 3 KU at the Hoosier Dome.

Cheaney scored 26 points on 11-of-19 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. Matt Nover had 18 points and 10 boards and Bailey had 11 points for IU, which scored just four points in the game’s final six minutes.

KU won despite hitting just 40.6% of its shots, including 7 of 23 threes. IU was 5-of-14 from three and hit 45.5% overall.

Here’s a quick look at the results of the seven games in the series played from 1940 to 1981.

Two of the games — 1940 and 1953 — were NCAA championship contests. Indiana stopped KU 60-42 in the NCAA finals on March 30, 1940. IU won 69-68 again in the title game on March 18, 1953, both in Kansas City.

KU in 1953 was hoping to win back-to-back NCAA titles. The Jayhawks, led by Indiana native Clyde Lovellette, won it all in 1952. Jerry Alberts’ last-second baseline shot missed and KU fell in the 1953 title game despite a triple-double from center B.H. Born

Indiana swept a four-game series over four seasons in the early 1970s. IU won 59-56 on Dec. 6, 1971 in Bloomington and also won 72-59 on Dec. 5, 1973 in Bloomington. KU lost 72-55 on Dec. 5, 1972 at Allen and lost 74-70 on Dec. 4, 1974 in Allen.

The two teams met in the 1981 ECAC Holiday Festival. KU prevailed 71-61.

IU’s Knight was 5-6 versus KU as Hoosier coach, while Branch McCracken was 2-0 and Tom Crean was 1-0. Williams was 5-1 versus IU. Ted Owens was 1-4 and Phog Allen was 0-2. Self is 0-1 versus IU as KU coach.