Stanford Gets Last Laugh, Defeats No. 2 Kansas

Another perennial powerhouse was sent packing on Sunday when No. 10 seeded Stanford defeated No. 2 Kansas 60-75. It was a big win for the Cardinal, but it was an even bigger win for Karma and those who believe what goes around does, in fact, come around.

On Saturday Andrew Wiggins and Wayne Selden Jr., the Jayhawks’ stud freshmen, were asked about controlling Chasson Randle, Stanford’s leading scorer. They both ducked their heads and had a chuckle at Randle’s expense, acting as though they’d never heard of him before.

After getting all the ill-advised snickering out of his system, Wiggins finally answered, “I am not sure now. How about you, Wayne?”

Something tells me they’ll remember his name now

Well, perhaps if they would have been better prepared for the game, they would’ve been better prepared for that question.

It’s probably unfair to assume KU coach Bill Self dismissed Stanford in the same way as a couple of freshman, but it’s hard to imagine Wiggins and Selden would’ve been comfortable publicly mocking an opponent if it wasn’t the prevailing attitude among his players.

The fact is, Kansas should have won that game. They finished the season with nine losses, it was their worst showing in a decade, and still earned a No. 2 seed. This is one of the best programs in the country, which routinely attracts some of the best talent in the country.

But that’s, as they say, why they play the game.

Though he was instructed by coach Johnny Dawkins not to speak about being slighted by the young Jayhawk stars before the game, Randle said after the win, “I definitely took it as a challenge. It was a little big extra motivation.”

Also motivated was Stanford senior Josh Huestis, who was responsible for guarding Wiggins. Huestis played 39 minutes and had six points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Wiggins was held to just four points, going 1-for-6 shooting on the day.

Much like Duke’s Jabari Parker, should he decide to declare for the NBA Draft, he does so ending his college career on a less than stellar note. Said Wiggins on his performance, “I let a lot of people down. If I would have played better, we wouldn’t be in this situation, you know? I blame myself for this.”

On one hand, at least Wiggins stepped up and admitted he played a bad game. On the other, would it have killed him to give a little credit to Stanford? Eventually he’s going to have to learn the world doesn’t revolve around him.

One of the lessons Wiggins and his Kansas teammates learned from Stanford is that the better team doesn’t always win. Unless there’s an unspeakable dearth of talent on one side, the team that plays better usually does.

The other was a lesson is one in sportsmanship and humility. When you go out of your way to make someone look bad, more often than not, the person who looks the worst is you.