Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Markieff Morris scored 12 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, as the fourth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks remained unbeaten with a 76-55 victory over the Colorado State Rams at the Sprint Center.
Tyshawn Taylor also had 12 points for the Jayhawks (9-0), who got 11 points from Tyrel Reed. Marcus Morris injured his knee early in the game but returned to score eight points.
"We were awful. Let that be your headlines. We didn't play very good," Kansas head coach Bill Self said. "We, as a team, have gotten worse over the last two weeks. We've got to get a lot better and we need to start doing it through practice. That wasn't very good today at all. I'm not talking about just play, I'm talking about being mentally alert and paying attention too. That wasn't very good."
Andy Ogide donated 12 points and five rebounds for the Rams (4-3), who have lost two straight since a two-game winning streak. Dorian Green and Travis Franklin each chipped in with 10 points in defeat.
Holding a 15-10 lead with 11:14 left in the first half, Kansas ripped off six straight points to create some breathing room. Travis Releford's slam made it 21-10 with 10:05 remaining.
The Jayhawks used a 6-0 surge moments later to build a 30-16 margin on a pair of Jeff Withey free throws with 5:33 to go.
Trailing by 13, 37-24, the Rams put together a 10-2 run to make things interesting. Green and Adam Nigon made back-to-back three-pointers to begin the burst, which Franklin capped with a pair of free throws to make it 39-34 with 40 seconds left.
Markieff Morris' jumper gave Kansas a 41-34 lead at the break.
Franklin's slam with 17:08 to play had Colorado State within five, 44-39. The Jayhawks essentially put the game out of reach with an ensuing 15-2 spurt. Elijah Johnson made two shots from beyond the arc during the flurry, which Taylor ended with a trey for a 59-41 margin with 10:09 remaining.
"I thought Kansas did a good job with their length and athleticism by getting out and pressuring," Colorado State head coach Tim Miles said. "When we did drive I thought that their help was pretty good. I thought their defense was just fine."
This was the first meeting between these two programs on the hardwood... The last time CSU defeated a top-25 team was in the 2004 MWC championship tournament at Pepsi Center in Denver against No. 25 Air Force, a 60-48 victory...Kansas made 46.3 percent of its shots, while the Rams shot 28.3 percent from the floor.