Hawking Points: Kansas Bounces Back With Impressive Win Over OU
Oklahoma hadn’t won a game inside Allen Fieldhouse since 1993 and that streak continued Saturday as the Kansas Jayhawks used a big second-half surge to win 78-66.
Key Plays
KU made an emphasis of getting the ball inside, with Kevin McCullar and Hunter Dickinson scoring in the paint in the first two possessions. In fact, KU’s first 12 points came from eight points in the paint, two from the line, and a KJ Adams jumper from the elbow as KU jumped out to an early 12-4 lead.
Oklahoma had no answer early for Adams early on, as Adams scored nine of KU’s first 17 points. Oklahoma went on a run as KU got cold from the field to cut the lead to two. KU’s first turnover game with eight to play and a Dajuan Harris three kept the Jayhawks on top until a putback slam gave OU its first lead. Adams took the lead back at 28-27 with a pair of free throws.
The Sooners jumped out to a three-point lead before Dickinson finished a hook shot. Harris couldn’t make anything, but once again Adams was there for the offensive board and putback to put KU up 32-31. OU’s Javian McCollum went on a personal 5-0 run while McCullar scored four straight. KU forced two turnovers in the final two possession to go in up one, 38-37, at the half.
Dickinson scored the first points of the half before Oklahoma regained the lead on some calls the fans didn’t agree with. But McCullar drove for two, a steal led to a Furphy fast-break dunk, and another turnover led to a Dickinson transition slam and KU was suddenly up 46-42.
Harris couldn’t make a shot to save his life but Dickinson went to work down low, scoring six points in the first four minutes of the second half. Kansas made just its second three of the game with 14:30 left when McCullar hit a corner three to go up 51-46. Another OU turnover led to a Furphy three to give KU its biggest lead of the half at 55-46.
The Sooners got hot from three but Kansas maintained its lead with aggressiveness around the basket and a nice Elmakeo Jackson jumper. McCullar got to the line it felt like every possession for a three-minute stretch and the defense clamped down. Dickinson and Harris hit back-to-back floaters and KU went up 16 as part of a 9-0 run.
Oklahoma cut it to 12 in the final two minutes but couldn’t do much with Kansas’ defense.
Eye-Catching Stat Lines
Kansas only hit 1-7 from three in the first half but scored 38 points in part because the Jayhawks only turned it over once. The threes fell a bit more often but the ball security remained. KU ended the game just 3-15 from deep but only turned it over twice to 17 assists. Kansas turned Oklahoma over 11 times.
KU was also sparked by Adams, who had 15 and eight in the first half alone. He ended with 15 points, 10 boards, and three assists. While Adams got cold in the second half, McCullar stepped up in the second half. McCullar had 21 points, thanks to 10-11 from the line, with four boards and four assists.
Dickinson also has a big first half with 10 points and five rebounds on his way to 24 and 14. He dominated the paint and also played one of his best defensive games, blocking five shots.
Areas of Improvement
Kansas didn’t shoot well, especially early, but it’s clear the UCF game was a wake up call and the Jayhawks were much better at the areas that pained them on Wednesday. Kansas was better at the line, better taking care of the ball, and executed better in the half court.
Takeaways
Johnny Furphy entered the starting lineup and provided a huge spark. It sure looks like this is the best lineup option right now, though it was good to see Jackson still play well off the bench. Harris and McCullar didn’t have outstanding games but still Kansas played excellent basketball to rebound from the loss. If you’ve given up on this team after one bad game, you might want to reconsider.
