In its first game since a third-place finish in the Maui Invitational, No. 5 Kansas led from start to finish during a too-close-for-comfort 71-63 victory over Eastern Illinois on Tuesday night in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks improved to 6-1 on the year ahead of Friday’s marquee matchup against the defending national champions.
Despite the obvious sandwich spot, the Jayhawks started the game with a decisive 8-0 run to jump out to an early lead. It was a stretch capped off by a beautiful one-handed pass from Kevin McCullar Jr. to a wide-open Elmarko Jackson on the backside, and the freshman finished the sequence off with an easy slam.
After a lethargic stretch for the next 10 minutes, Nicolas Timberlake, who had been struggling in his reserve role to begin the year, helped Kansas create some separation late in the first half. Timberlake drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing on an assist by Jackson, only to follow that up with a better play on the next possession. Timberlake faked out a defender on the perimeter before drilling a pull-up jumper from mid-range.
Moments later, Timberlake dished a quick entry pass to Hunter Dickinson for the turnaround jumper to stretch KU’s lead to double-digits.
Perhaps the biggest highlight of the night came near the end of the first half, when Dajuan Harris Jr. launched a half-court lob in transition to K.J. Adams Jr., who completed the sequence with a thunderous slam to earn a hefty roar from the crowd. Allen Fieldhouse had a moment of silence before the game for Adams’ mother, Yvonne Adams, who recently died after years spent battling with bladder cancer. The student section held up newspapers that read “For Yvonne.”
As for the game, Kansas never really put away an inferior Eastern Illinois (3-5) squad that ranked No. 344 on Ken Pomeroy’s overall ratings entering Tuesday. The Panthers cut the deficit to two points (49-47) with 11:13 left in the game. McCullar, KU’s trusty veteran wing, responded with an and-one on the other end to create some cushion.
The Panthers never went away, however. They trimmed the deficit to a single point, 59-58, with 5:04 remaining. Dickinson answered with an and-one of his own, as Kansas continued to respond down the stretch to hold on in a win that was far closer than it needed to be. The Jayhawks were listed as 35-point favorites for this matchup.
Dickinson paced Kansas with 25 points and 13 rebounds, while McCullar finished with 18 points and five assists. Adams recorded 10 points to join them in double figures.
The Jayhawks will now turn their attention to a huge showdown on Friday against No. 4 UConn, which is undefeated after winning the championship. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. Central Time.
