MANHATTAN – All the bad feelings finally returned. The perfect start ended.

Brady Morningstar leaned on a slumped over Sherron Collins. Chase Buford, dressed in street clothes, patted Tyrel Reed on his head. Brandon Rush stared forward, not looking behind at the court.

None of the Jayhawks wanted to look that direction. That’s where the party was. Kansas State won 84-75 on Wednesday night, its first home victory against its rival in 25 years, and the celebration was starting. Fans, who had screamed and booed in a ravenous, vengeful tone for 40 minutes, lifted Michael Beasley, their basketball savior, on their shoulders. Bill Walker, also on top of the crowd, felt vindicated by the victory.

“Who in here actually thought we could win tonight?” he asked.

The players and fans had good reason to cherish the victory. They deserved it.

“K-State was just a better team than we were tonight,” Self said. “Offensively and defensively.”

That was a shock. Before the game, the hype centered around superb freshman Beasley. Everyone knew he was the best player on the court. Would the No. 2 team or the No. 1 freshman win? The rest of the K-State team got lost amid the talk. Wednesday night, they showed that shouldn’t happen again.

Bill Walker scored 12 points in the first half to give his team an early lead, and Self said the Wildcats’ guards sped up Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins, who were supposed be the superior players.

“The way that team started gave them confidence,” Self said, “and put us on our heels.”

It didn’t help that the Wildcats couldn’t miss. They made 12 of 26 three-pointers and several of them came during times when Kansas was starting to come back. They made 18 of 24 free throws. Self and Rush said most of the loose balls went their way, too.

“It just wasn’t our night,” Rush said.

Photo Gallery

Kansas Basketball vs. Kansas State

Photo gallery of men's basketball game against Kansas State Wednesday night in Manhattan.

But Kansas State’s victory wasn’t lucky. Its players came through. Freshman Jacob Pullen scored 18 points in the second half and didn’t miss a free throw. He, Beasley and Walker – all freshmen – combined to score 67 points. It was the biggest game of their short careers, and they stepped up. The same couldn’t be said for the Jayhawks.

Kansas’ players had been through NCAA Tournaments, Big 12 Championships and countless rivalry games. They didn’t show it, though. Collins said the guards often got into the lane then threw the ball away. Darrell Arthur played brilliantly offensively but hurt himself by picking up his fourth foul early in the second half.

The performance was far different from those the Jayhawks gave in other tight games against Arizona, Southern California, Missouri and Georgia Tech. In those games the Jayhawks played with poise, made big baskets and controlled the ball.

“Tonight, we didn’t,” Arthur said. “We didn’t take advantage of our opportunities.”

Because of that, the Jayhawks not only lost their perfect record but lost their position atop the conference. Kansas is now one game behind the Wildcats, who are still undefeated in conference play.

It’s the first time the Jayhawks have lost, and Self said the players can use it for their benefit if they improve. A big test for Kansas likely won’t come until Feb. 11 at Texas. The Jayhawks will know how much they’ve improved then. For now, they’ll just have to hurt.

“This could be a good thing for us in the long run,” Self said, “but certainly, it stings.”