Udoka Azubuike had 19 points and 16 rebounds to lead top-ranked Kansas on Monday, as the Jayhawks avoided any chance of a letdown after their high-profile win over Baylor by blowing out Oklahoma State 83-58.
Beyond Azubuike's stat line, the night proved even more special because of who was on hand to witness it: Azubuike's older brother, Chima Azuonwu.
The brothers had not seen each other in 10 years, and Monday marked the first time that Azuonwu had seen Azubuike play live.
"It was great. I haven't seen him in, like, 10 years, and he just surprised me. I was like, 'He's gonna come to the game,'" Azubuike said to ESPN's Holly Rowe. "It was kinda an emotional moment for me before the game started, and I saw him. I was excited. I was really pumped. It was great."
Azubuike, 20, is the youngest of five, with two older brothers and two older sisters. He admitted to being "a little nervous" about having his big brother in attendance "'cause he's never seen me play basketball before, except on TV."
Nerves aside, Azubuike called the experience "truly a special moment for me."
Both Azubuike and Azuonwu were born in Nigeria and attended high school in the U.S., though not at the same time. Azuonwu, a 6-foot-11 center, received a scholarship to play at Tennessee State, but a knee injury impacted his career.
"That was cool to see," Kansas coach Bill Self said of the brothers' reunion. "You could tell that they were happy to see each other."
The Jayhawks' victory over the No. 2 Bears allowed them to retake the top spot in the AP poll earlier in the day, and the win over the Cowboys gave Self's team a half-game lead over Baylor in the race for the Big 12 title.
The Jayhawks have won five straight against the Cowboys and 22 of their past 24 games against Oklahoma State in Allen Fieldhouse. They have won 23 in a row overall, building a strong case for the NCAA tournament's No. 1 overall seed.
Kansas heads down Interstate 70 to face Kansas State on Saturday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.