Hawking Points: Kansas Fights Back to Claim Road Win Over Indiana 75-71
It was an ugly showing for about 30 minutes in Bloomington but the Kansas Jayhawks found a way to leave the hostile Assembly Hall with a 75-71 win for Kansas’ first true road win of the season.
Key Plays
Kel’el Ware got the first points of the game on the first possession, but Hunter Dickinson couldn’t answer, missing his first jumper (a sign of things to come). Then Malik Reneau put a miss back up for Indiana to go up 4-0. After an Indiana offensive foul, KJ Adams found Dickinson for the first Kansas points.
Kansas' sloppiness and two Trey Galloway drives gave the Hoosiers an early 8-2 lead. Bill Self called a timeout and on the next possession, Elmarko Jackson found Adams for an easy layup. Indiana shot 27% from three coming into the game but Reneau hit his first attempt (another sign of what was to come) to go up 12-6.
Kansas started just 3-9 from the field but then Kevin McCullar got his first points on an open three. A turnover by Indiana led to a dump down from Jackson to Adams to cut the lead to one. Indiana immediately went on a run from there, led by Mackenzie Mgbako who scored six quick points.
It was a sloppy game with 11 total turnovers in the first eight minutes. Dajuan Harris answered with a three to cut Indiana’s lead to four but Reneau answered with another three of his own – he started the season 1-7 from deep on the year.
Adams picked up his second foul with 9:34 left in the first half with Kansas down five. Dickinson finally got going with a layup from McCullar. But then McCullar then picked up his second foul a minute later. Kansas tried to stay close but had some bad luck. Timberlake was fouled but they said on the floor instead of in the act of shooting, and Kansas couldn’t convert on the next possession. Jackson was called for goaltending on a shot that was nowhere close, and then Mgbako hit a three to go up 11.
Indiana got the lead up to 12 at the under-four timeout. An and-one by McCullar cut it to nine. Then a Dickinson hook shot made it 36-29. Dickinson missed a bunny and Indiana immediately answered. Kansas had the last shot of the half, where Jamari McDowell missed a three that Adams grabbed and was fouled. He hit one free throw to give Kansas a 40-32 deficit at half.
More turnovers to start the second half but the second Harris steal led to a Jackson made three. But Kansas kept missing shots and Indiana hit threes to get back up to 11. It was the Hoosiers’ fifth three in its first nine attempts. A Galloway drive gave Indiana its biggest lead at 13. Meanwhile, Kansas hit just 3-14 from deep in the first 25 minutes of the game.
An Adams dunk and Jackson drive cut the deficit nine. Galloway got his 20th point of the game and Harris answered with an and-one and all of a sudden it was 52-44. The momentum immediately went away when Adams fouled Ware and sent him to the line for two and then Harris threw the ball away. Dickinson airballed and Jackson stepped out of bounds for another turnover.
Galloway continued to burn the Jayhawks but still Kansas cut it to six with 10 to go before a Indiana putback ended the run. But McDowell answered with a three that made it 58-53. A Dickinson putback cut the lead to three. McCullar’s fourth foul sent Indiana to the line, but it only made one.
A big rebound by McDowell led to Harris being left wide open from three, which he drained to finish off a 12-3 run. There was also an off-ball foul on Indiana to give Kansas the ball back but McDowell stepped out of bounds for another turnover.
McCullar hit two free throws and a Kansas stop led to Dickinson draining a hook to give Kansas its first lead of the game. After Indiana answered, Harris got the lead back at 64-63. Indiana tied it with a free throw and McCullar drained a three on the next possession. A stop on defense was followed by a Dickinson basket. Indiana answered to keep it a one-possession game. Harris went one on one for a tough basket with just over a minute to go. Galloway, having a career game with 28 points, drained a three to make it 71-69. Adams missed and Indiana had a chance to take the lead but missed a three, which Dickinson rebounded. McCullar went to the line with 18 seconds left but missed the first but Indiana lost the rebound out of bounds.
McCullar went back fo the line with 17.9 left, got the first to roll in on a crazy bounce and swished the second to put Kansas up 73-69. Mgbako missed a three but Ware went over Mccullar for the rebound and putback. Galloway fouled out with 7.6 second left and McCullar went back to the line and hit both. Cupps missed a three and Kansas got the rebound to win.
Eye-Catching Stat Lines
Kansas shot just 35% from the floor, 20% from three, and 60% from the line in the first half while turning it over five times. Dickinson forced it a lot, hitting just 4-11 shots in the first half. But it got better after halftime. The Jayhawks ended the game shooting 42.6% from the field and 33.3% from three, while hitting 17-24 free throws.
Despite not being efficient, Dickinson still ended with 17 points and 14 rebounds. But McCullar was the leading scorer with 21 to go with six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Adams (14 points) and Harris (12) also ended in double figures.
Kansas turned it over 11 times but was able to cause 14 Indiana turnovers. Indiana got colder from three over the course of the game and ended making 6-16, which was still better than its season average.
Areas of Improvement
Turnovers continue to be a problem for Kansas, and it’s not likely going away. The only thing that makes up for it is the Jayhawks’ passing ability, and Kansas did have 18 assists on 26 made shots.
What we’re going to see this year is that overall this is a good offense, but it can go through lapses. That was the case for the first 25-30 minutes of the game. Kansas just has to be able to overcome and finish down the stretch like they did.
This team also can’t afford to be in the foul trouble it was today. Though it’s a credit to Adams and McCullar that neither of them fouled out.
Takeaways
Great teams win games with C-performances and not just As and Bs. This was one of those games. It was a tough road environment, nothing was falling early, and yet Kansas chipped away and made play after play when it mattered most. That’s what you love to see from a team competing for a Final Four.
