Kansas point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. knew he missed a chance to give the rock to a wide-open Gradey Dick, so he patted his chest to say “my bad” during a possession midway through the first half of Saturday’s 62-60 win over Iowa State in Allen Fieldhouse.
But Harris didn’t have to wait long to make his amends.
Harris took one dribble toward the right, while Bobby Pettiford Jr. slashed through the middle of the lane. Kevin McCullar Jr. pointed from the right corner, but Harris didn’t need any instruction, as he fired a chest pass to the left wing to Dick after an Iowa State defender deserted him on the 3-point line.
It was all the space Dick needed to drill his second triple of the night en route to going 5-for-9 from long range, pacing the Jayhawks (16-1, 5-0 Big 12) with 21 points in the win. The performance came just four days after Dick went 1-for-8 from the floor, including 1-for-4 from beyond the arc, in a win over Oklahoma on Tuesday.
“He got off to a bad start today, and then after he saw the first one go down, I thought he was great,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.
Here is the play in gif form. The ISU defender abandoning Gradey Dick on the 3-point line was certainly a choice #KUbball pic.twitter.com/1LUaxsUtUW
— Shane Jackson (@SJacksonMGM) January 15, 2023
It is true that Dick didn’t get off to the best start, but the opening stretch proved to be a sign of things to come for the freshman sharpshooter.
On KU’s first offensive possession, Dick got an open look from the left corner that he ultimately misfired on. K.J. Adams Jr. kicked it back out to Dick on the next trip for another good look from the left wing, but the shot hit the back of the rim instead.
Finally, Dick’s first 3-pointer came at the 14:26 mark, in which Harris and Adams ran a pick and roll on the right side. Adams caught a bounce pass on the short roll, and took one power dribble before hitting Dick in the left corner.
The floodgates opened after that, as Dick’s five 3-pointers marked the most triples he has made in a game since going 6-for-12 against NC State. It was just the second time he made more than two 3-pointers since Big 12 play began and defenses have shifted their focus to him.
“(I was) just finding open spots,” Dick said. “At the start of the game, they were kind of running me off the three. So when they do that, it’s easier for other guys to get open.”
Dick has been face-guarded for much of conference play, which has played a part in him going 4-for-13 from 3-point range in the three meetings against Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. Like West Virginia, when Dick went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, Iowa State’s defense can be a bit different.
The Cyclones, who rank fifth in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, tend to mix up their defensive looks. They will employ a denial ball pressure man scheme, but they aren’t afraid to mix it up and utilize some zone as well. They want to be disruptive and force teams into turnovers, as they lead the country in turnover rate, while limiting shots as much as possible.
From a team perspective, it certainly worked. Kansas was held to 48 shots and committed 12 turnovers. As for Dick’s individual matchup, the Cyclones came up short in the latest Big 12 battle.
“You want to try and limit his attempts and you can’t let them be open,” Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said of the team’s defensive game plan on Dick. “Based on their ability to space the floor and move the basketball, it’s easier said than done.”
“It’s a job that we had awareness of as a team,” Otzelberger added. “We didn’t do as good of a job in that respect as we had hoped to do. He did a great job knocking down five (triples).”
Iowa State ranks 355th in 3-point attempts allowed (47%) on defense, so Kansas was always going to get opportunities from downtown. Typically, the Cyclones are able to contest shots a bit more, as they ranks 134th in Open 3 Rate via ShotQuality.
According to Synergy Sports Technology, Dick was “unguarded” on nine of his 12 jump shots on Saturday. His previous high of unguarded jump shots was six against Missouri, when he went 6-for-11 from the floor. For comparison, Dick had five unguarded jumpers in the first four Big 12 games combined.
The reason why the number of open looks is significant is because Dick ranks in the 90th percentile in the country on unguarded jump shots, shooting 56.5% in such situations this season. Dick cited his movement without the ball as a reason why he got more free on Saturday.
“That’s what our coaches have been preaching the whole time,” Dick said. “Past teams that have been face guarding, just moving around and then finding the mismatches when we can.”
Dick found an open spot on the right wing when he came off the screen to even the score at 44 with 12:53 left to play. He then hit another game-tying triple from the right wing on a kick-out pass from Jalen Wilson about a minute later.
The fifth and final long ball came in transition, when Dick camped in a spot well behind the 3-point line along the left wing. Harris darted through the middle of the lane before hitting Dick, who gave the Jayhawks a 52-50 lead with 6:43 left in the contest.
“He made some unbelievable (shots),” Self said. “We are down three, he makes a three. We are down three, he makes a three. So, uh yeah, he was really good.”
Thanks to Dick’s big shots down the stretch, Kansas is now alone atop the Big 12 standings. The Jayhawks will try to remain undefeated in league play with a rivalry matchup against Kansas State up next.
Tipoff for the Sunflower Showdown is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum.
