Kansas Jayhawks outlast Wisconsin Badgers in thrilling Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal
The Kansas Jayhawks got just two points off the bench in 45 minutes of action in Thursday's Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal, but they couldn't have come at a more opportune time.
Sophomore guard Bobby Pettiford Jr. found himself in the right place at the right time, waiting under the basket with barely any time left on the clock in overtime when sophomore forward Zach Clemence missed a deep three-point attempt. That gave the reserve guard a chance to haul in the rebound off a tip, put up a double-clutch layup and send the Jayhawks on the tournament semifinals with a 69-68 victory.
It was anything but easy and stress free, but KU is now 6-0 to start the season and has an opportunity to win its first preseason tournament since the 2019 Maui Invitational.
The Thanksgiving Day tilt ended with jubilation for the Jayhawks, but the second half was far from an easy matchup.
Kansas led by 13 points at halftime and stretched its lead to as many as 15 in the second half, but Wisconsin methodically chiseled away at the deficit and eventually took a 52-50 lead with just 6:46 left in regulation. That was the Badgers' first lead since nearly 13 minutes remained in the first half.
After a run by each squad, including a 10-0 Jayhawks burst and an 11-0 run by the Badgers, KU found itself trailing facing a three-point deficit with mere seconds left. Enter senior guard Kevin McCullar, who hit a second-chance three pointer (interestingly enough, also following a Clemence miss) to tie the game and eventually send it to overtime.
"They had outplayed us, totally," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "We were not the best team today."
Pettiford and McCullar came up with the two biggest shots of the day for KU, but once again it was junior forward Jalen Wilson who led the way for the Jayhawks in the win. Wilson racked up his fourth double-double of the season and second in a row with 29 points and 14 rebounds. That's the second-most points he's ever scored in a game, with his career-high 33 coming against Duke in last week's Champions Classic. In fact, the three highest-scoring games of Wilson's career have all come within the last 10 days.
McCullar was KU's only other double-figure scorer, overcoming an 0-of-5 start from the floor to score 18 points. He also grabbed nine rebounds before fouling out. Freshman guard Gradey Dick, fresh off a career-best scoring performance against NC State on Wednesday, scored nine points, all in the first half.
Both Kansas and Wisconsin finished exactly 24-of-62 for 38.7% shooting, although the Badgers finished marginally better percentage-wise from three-point range. Wisconsin shot 31.6% from three (6-of-19), while KU finished at 31% (9-of-29).
The Jayhawks will take on the winner of Thursday's USC versus Tennessee matchup in Friday's championship game. That contest is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. CT tip off.
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