After being crowned the No. 1 team in the nation Monday morning, the weight of the title seemed to curse the Kansas Jayhawks. By nightfall, they had suffered a devastating 16-point loss to the Kansas State Wildcats and will almost certainly lose their top ranking.

Like a perfectly planned date gone wrong, love seemed elusive for the Jayhawks this Valentine’s Day evening. Led by senior guard Jacob Pullen, the Wildcats stunned Rock Chalk Nation as they began a relentless battle against their in-state rival.

Pullen managed to rack up an impressive 38 points and directed his team to a remarkable 84-68 win.

“Let’s just call it was it is.  That was a beatdown,”  Kansas head coach Bill Self said.

And that is exactly what it was.

While Kansas State took advantage of excellent shooting and countless missed free throws by the Jayhawks, Kansas struggled to find its usual rhythm and had trouble working the ball inside.  

The powerhouse duo of Marcus and Markieff Morris was hampered by early foul trouble, which led the Twin Towers away from their usual high scoring.  Marcus ended the game with 13 points, his brother had just 3. Markieff, the Big 12’s leading rebounder, also failed to get a single board.

It’s hard to believe that less than a month ago, Kansas beat this same Wildcat team 90-66.

Granted, this time around the Jayhawks were without 6-foot-9 sophomore Thomas Robinson due to a knee injury.  However, a final score is a final score, and tonight the Wildcats of Kansas State University proved their skills and determination against a powerful Kansas team.

So, what does this mean for the most recent rankings?

Kansas’s loss makes them the third No. 1 team to experience an unexpected loss.  This further supports the idea that the Texas Longhorns belong in the No. 1 slot. 

With a win against KU at Allen Fieldhouse under their belt and an incredibly solid team to back up their name, the Longhorns seem to be the next team destined to step up to the plate.

The question is: Will UT succumb to the curse of being No. 1?  Or will they be able to close out with a perfect remaining season and move on to the national championship in Houston?

Only time will tell, but don’t be surprised if the unpredictably rocky road to March Madness claims another victim.