CHICAGO (AP) — It came down to Kansas and Kentucky, and Tyran Stokes decided to join the Jayhawks.
On Tuesday night, he showed the Wildcats exactly what they were missing.
Stokes looked quite comfortable in the first big test of his freshman season, helping No. 15 Kansas to an 89-69 victory over No. 24 Kentucky. The 6-foot-8 guard had 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
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“When I chose Kansas and I knew that game was going to be here, it was personal for sure,” Stokes said. “But we got the (win) … and that’s all that matters.”
Stokes is from Louisville, Kentucky, and he grew up cheering for the Cardinals and North Carolina. He starred at Ranier Beach High School in Seattle during his senior season, becoming the consensus No. 1 recruit in the country.
Stokes also considered Oregon before narrowing the field to his two finalists.
“Growing up, obviously you know the tradition and the rivalry between Louisville and Kentucky, so being from Louisville I still got (those) same emotions as if I was playing for Louisville,” Stokes said.
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Stokes wasn’t the only Kansas player looking to make a statement against Kentucky. Tre White, who played one season at Louisville, scored a career-high 30 points against the Wildcats.
“Definitely personal,” White said. “We’ve got some guys from Louisville over there, so it was definitely an amped-up, emotional game.”
Stokes was 4 for 8 from 3-point range. He scored 13 points in the first half to help Kansas to a 46-36 lead at the break.
“I actually thought he handled the moment better than I actually anticipated,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “He’s very emotional, which is a big, big plus. Nobody should take that as a negative. But I didn’t want him to be too geeked up where he couldn’t play.”
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