No. 9 Kansas responded in a big way, as it never trailed during a 88-80 win over No. 5 Texas on Monday night inside Allen Fieldhouse.
Two days ago, the Jayhawks were lackadaisical and never seemed to wake up during a lopsided road loss to Iowa State. They failed to get most of the 50/50 balls, nobody outside of Jalen Wilson was able to score, and KU struggled to take care of the rock.
Well, Monday’s meeting with Big 12 frontrunner Texas in Lawrence was the complete opposite of that.
From the opening tip, Kansas looked as locked in as it has been since league play began. The Jayhawks forced two shot-clock violations within the first five minutes alone. Wilson only needed to score one first-half basket, as his teammates attacked the rim with a purpose to race out to an early lead.
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PHOTO GALLERY: Kansas vs. Texas
Box score: Kansas 88, Texas 80
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Kansas led by as many as 14 within the opening 20 minutes before grabbing a 42-35 advantage at the break. KU scored 28 of those points in the paint, taking 16 shots at the rim in the first half. Texas eventually evened the score in the second half, but the hosts never relinquished the lead after the strong start.
On a night where the Jayhawks only had eight scholarship players available, each player who stepped on the floor made an impact.
Point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. controlled the game from start to finish, recording 17 points to go along with five assists, six rebounds, and four steals. He simply made plays all night, though none bigger than a reverse layup in transition midway through the second half to cap off a decisive 6-0 run.
juan gettin’ fancy wit it ???? pic.twitter.com/0SPvU4enMD
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) February 7, 2023
Freshman sharpshooter Gradey Dick broke out of a slump and registered 21 points, nailing a signature triple after showing some nifty handles to get free from a Texas defender.
GD puttin’ moves on em ???? pic.twitter.com/ZTdH9E5kib
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) February 7, 2023
Kevin McCullar Jr. recorded a trio of and-one opportunities, while K.J. Adams Jr. found his rhythm once again as the roll man on KU’s pick-and-rolls. Both players finished with double figures in the win. Joseph Yesufu, MJ Rice, and Ernest Udeh Jr. all made contributions off the bench for a short-handed Kansas squad.
Kansas (19-5, 7-4 Big 12) is now alone in third place in the Big 12 standings after getting back in the win column on Monday. Texas (19-5, 8-3 Big 12) still leads the pack, but the loss certainly opens the door for the rest of the contenders over the next few weeks.
KU will travel to Oklahoma on Saturday.