Kansas Bounces Back With Huge Road Win Over Kentucky 77-68
Bill Self donned a suit jacket and his players donned a renewed energy and effort that has been missing the last three games for Kansas. The result was a much-needed 77-68 win over Kentucky Saturday in a game where a bunch of Jayhawks stepped up.
The start made it seem like we would see more of the same of the Jayhawks as Kentucky and Jacob Toppin got off to a 9-4 start with Jalen Wilson scoring all four points. But a strong drive by KJ Adams and two threes by Dajuan Harris tied the game at 11. The teams went back and forth and Kentucky got back up 20-16 when Kevin McCullar completed an and-one and then an Adams jumper gave Kansas the lead.
Adams picked up two fouls with 7:58 left in the half, bringing in Zuby Ejiofor, who also picked up two quick fouls and then rolled his ankle and would miss the rest of the game. But it was Ernest Udeh ready for a breakout. He caught the receiving end of an alley-oop from Harris—the first of two in the half—and after a Dick make and Harris floater, Udeh kept a possession alive, leading to a McCullar and-one and a 39-30 Kansas lead.
Kansas would take a 41-34 lead into half as Kansas held Kentucky to only one offensive rebound and the Cats didn’t hit a three and went 3-8 at the line. The second half started with another McCullar drive and basket with a foul, but he rolled his ankle and had to come out after missing the free-throw. He would come back in with about 13 minutes left.
The Jayhawks held Oscar Tshiebwe in check in the first half but he would score eight straight Kentucky points in the second half as Kentucky cut the Kansas lead to 51-47 and then an open Cason Wallace three made it a one-point game. But there was Wilson to answer with a three of his own for his 15th point of the night. A steal by McCullar then led to a Dick layup in transition and it was 56-50 Jayhawks.
Kansas’ defense was ramped up in the second half, and the Jayhawks had forced 10 UK turnovers in the first 30 minutes of the game. Kentucky cut the lead again to four and then an Adams offensive foul gave UK the ball back. But great defense forced a stop and Adams took it right at Tshiebwe on the other end for his 15th point.
Kentucky went to the line to cut the Kansas lead to two as the Jayhawks were called for their seventh foul of the half while Kentucky was only called for one. Wilson again answered with a huge turnaround over Tshiebwe. Wallace answered over MJ Rice but an Adams alley-oop out of an out-of-bounds play made it 62-58.
This was a heavyweight bout in the second half with each team throwing punches back and forth. A Dick three extended the lead to 67-62, his first of the night, before Tshiebwe answered in the post. But whenever there was an answer needed, Wilson had it. Another three put Kansas up 70-64 at the under-four timeout.
Tshiebwe hit two more free throws but McCullar hit a huge three at the end of the shot clock for a 73-66 Kansas lead with three left. And then he took a charge against Toppin. Toppin cut it to five after a Harris missed three, but who else but Jalen Wilson with a foot on the line to put KU back up by seven.
Stifling Kansas defense didn’t let Kentucky get anything good in the last four minutes and the Jayhawks crashed the boards to make it a free-throw game (Dick hit two with 28 second to put Kansas up nine) and the Jayhawks left Rupp with a huge win.
Wilson led all scorers with 22 points to go with eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals, but Adams (17 points), Dick (13 points), and McCullar (11 points, 12 rebounds) all finished in double figures. Harris also had eight points to go with eight assists.
Now the Jayhawks will host Kansas State for a revenge game Tuesday night in Lawrence.
