Zeke Mayo picked the right night to catch fire.
The former Kansas guard delivered a game-high 25 points Friday as JHX Hoops rallied past Purple Reign, 62-55, in the deciding game of their first-round series in The Basketball Tournament. With the win, the Jayhawks alumni team reached the TBT quarterfinals for the first time in team history.
Mayo was everywhere when the game tightened. He hit four 3-pointers, kept finding answers in the second half and then sealed the comeback by knocking down four crucial free throws in the Elam Ending. JHX Hoops had to claw back from an early 12-0 hole and later dug out of a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but Mayo kept the pressure on until the finish.
Afterward, Mayo said JHX made a point of hunting former Kansas State star Michael Beasley in pick-and-roll action.
"Honestly, it was just, you know, we were kind of in the flow of things a lot. So whenever we had a chance, we tried to put Mike in as many actions as we could and nine times out of 10, the ball screen, you know, he wanted to stay flat and flat-footed. So I tried to take advantage of that."
The matchup carried extra meaning for Mayo, who is from Lawrence. He lost his only collegiate game at Bramlage Coliseum while at Kansas, and he also struggled in JHX Hoops' Game 1 loss earlier in the week. This time, he got to walk out of Manhattan with a much better memory.
"It means a lot obviously... just to beat the purple again. My one time playing here, I lost, so it stung a little bit.
Then we came out here and kind of laid an egg on Tuesday. So, I just wanted to come out here and redeem myself."
Tyshawn Taylor said Mayo stayed calm when it mattered most, especially at the line late.
"That's the only time I can relax when he's at the free-throw line."
Frank Mason III also came through again, hitting his second straight game-winning basket to help send JHX Hoops on to Monday's quarterfinal matchup against defending TBT champion AfterShocks in Wichita, with a semifinal berth at stake.
In Other News...
Former Jayhawk Return Is About To Test Allen Fieldhouse
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Flory Bidungas return gives the game a built-in storyline beyond the usual October showcase. The former Kansas center is back in Lawrence with Louisville, and his presence should make for a revealing early test for a Jayhawks roster still trying to sort itself out before the games count. Kansas will also be using the preseason to get a read on its young pieces, including Darryn Peterson, whose first exhibition was interrupted by cramping and a second-half stint on the bench after an initially unclear injury. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Got A Massive Melvin Council Jr. Eligibility Twist
Melvin Council Jr.s path to Kansas has already been unusual, and now it has taken another turn as he looks to extend his college career beyond the NCAAs new five-year limit. Council and his attorneys are arguing that his time at Kansas, St. Bonaventure and Wagner still leaves him short of four years at NCAA institutions, a case built around a career that also included two seasons at Monroe Junior College before he reached the Jayhawks.
The timing matters for Kansas because Council already used an NCAA waiver to play a fifth year in 2024, and the latest filing is aimed at opening the door to the 2026-27 season. If he succeeds, it could give Bill Self another chance to keep a veteran guard in the program, but for now the bigger question is whether the courts will buy the argument that his route through college basketball still leaves room for one more season. [Read more 🡒]
Former Jayhawk Carlton Bragg Is Suddenly Part Of KU's TBT Push
Carlton Braggs basketball journey has taken him across a long list of countries, but this summer has brought him back into a Kansas setting in a way few would have predicted. The former Jayhawk is suiting up for JHX Hoops, KUs alumni team in the 2026 TBT, after former teammates invited him to join the roster and give the group another experienced frontcourt piece.
Bragg has already made the most of the opportunity, including a notable showing against Kansas State as the alumni team has pushed deeper into the bracket. JHX Hoops now turns to a quarterfinal matchup with Wichita States AfterShocks on Monday, with the path ahead still very much alive and Bragg suddenly part of a KU run that has given him a fresh stage back in the spotlight. [Read more 🡒]