Nick KrugFor the second consecutive weekend, No. 8 Kansas was in control from start to finish in a game that featured a lot of hype. This time it was a resounding 84-62 victory over the No. 14 Indiana Hoosiers on a Saturday afternoon in Allen Fieldhouse.
KJ Adams Jr., who was the star of last week’s thrashing of the Missouri Tigers, set the tone with a 7-0 run all by himself. He finished with 11 points in a matchup where KU dominated inside, posting a 50-24 edge on points in the paint.
Part of why the Jayhawks had such success inside is because they put an emphasis on running out in transition. And it led to a number of highlight-worthy plays, especially in the first half.
You can pick your favorite.
There was the hot potato-like bucket on a fast break right before the first media timeout, in which everybody but Gradey Dick managed to get a touch. Kevin McCullar Jr. started the possession with a steal before firing a pass to Jalen Wilson, who then hit Adams in the short corner. Adams found a driving Dajuan Harris Jr., who then delivered one final touch pass back to McCullar for good measure and the easy basket.
Then, there was the nifty pass from Harris that led to a ferocious one-handed slam by Dick at the 14:39 mark. The Jayhawks’ fan base at Allen Fieldhouse certainly loved that, while Indiana fans (roughly 30% of people in the arena) did not appreciate that play as much.
There were many other memorable moments when the Jayhawks were on the run, including another slam from Dick with about 5:20 left in the first half. Much of this production was made possible by the defensive effort, as the Jayhawks certainly did their part on that end of the floor in this top-15 matchup.
A major storyline entering this game was Indiana big man Trayce Jackson-Davis, who is a National Player of the Year Candidate at this point in the season. The Jayhawks bothered him with double teams in the post and good rotation defense, so much so that he didn’t record his first field goal until after 18 minutes of action.
By then, though, the story had been decided. The Hoosiers made a push, and even cut it to 10 points prior to the first media timeout in the second half. But the Jayhawks seemingly always had an answer, and the game was never in doubt. They had six player finish in double figures.
Kansas has now won four in a row since its loss to Tennessee, though the victories of late have been especially impressive. That seems important, with Big 12 play just around the corner.
