KU basketball dominates North Carolina Central in season opener. Here are 3 takeaways
Kansas center Hunter Dickinson let out a roar.
He had just made his first 3-pointer of the night — his seventh straight point to start the game. North Carolina Central had yet to score, so the Eagles called timeout ... less than two minutes into Monday night’s contest.
It was just that kind of night for Dickinson and the Jayhawks.
No. 1 Kansas recorded a wire-to-wire 99-56 victory over North Carolina Central at Allen Fieldhouse.
Senior guard Kevin McCullar scored 22 points and Dickinson added 21 for the Jayhawks, leading Kansas to its 51st consecutive home-opening victory. KU is now 1-0 for the 18th time in coach Bill Self’s 21 seasons at Kansas.
Ja’Darius Harris led all North Carolina Central (0-1) scorers with 12 points. The Jayhawks will host Manhattan on Friday at Allen Fieldhouse.
Here are some takeaways from the game.
Hunter Dickinson has monster Kansas debut
Boy, Dickinson put on a show in his first game official game in a Jayhawk uniform.
He scored from everywhere on the floor while making it look effortless. He nearly outscored North Carolina Central by himself in the first half.
Dickinson had 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists through 20 minutes of play. By comparison, the Eagles had 18 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Perhaps the most encouraging part of Dickinson’s debut? He was doing it on both sides of the court. He finished with eight rebounds, two blocks and one steal in just 24 minutes. He even had five assists.
This is the Dickinson Jayhawk fans dreamed of getting when he transferred from Michigan this offseason.
Kansas was red-hot from deep
After struggling heavily from long range against Fort Hays State on Wednesday (and in the preseason scrimmage vs. Illinois), the Jayhawks started the regular season with a 3-point barrage. Kansas shot 13-for-23 (56.5%) from deep for the game.
McCullar, who focused on improving his 3-point shot this offseason, went 4-for-7 from 3.
Dickinson, who previously said he’d like to attempt three 3s per game, went a perfect 3-for-3 from deep. Sharpshooter Nick Timberlake was 3-for-4 from 3-point range.
Kansas did a great job of finding the open man on the perimeter, passed up good shots for better ones and overall had a very encouraging night from deep.
That said, KU’s barrage didn’t exactly come against the most formidable team.
Elmarko Jackson starts, but Nick Timberlake shines off the bench
Leading up to the game, one of the biggest questions surrounding KU was who would be the fifth starter. The three players battling for the spot were freshmen Elmarko Jackson and Johnny Furphy, along with sixth-year guard Timberlake.
“We are going to need somebody to come through and be consistent,” Self said after KU’s exhibition win over Fort Hays State. “Right now, I think that’s totally up in the air.”
Jackson was the fifth starter on Monday, but the freshman struggled early.
He picked up three quick fouls in the first half and was limited to 8 minutes in the period. In the minutes he did play, he didn’t seem fully comfortable.
Jackson finished the first half with four points on 1-for-2 shooting. He looked a little better in the second half, finishing the game with eight points on 3-for-5 shooting.
By comparison, Timberlake and Furphy both made an immediate impact off the bench.
Timberlake had 10 points in the first half, shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from the field. He even drained both 3-point attempts he took in that time. He finished with 13 points in 20 minutes.
Furphy only had three points, but he had added three rebounds and two assists in 10-and-a-half first-half minutes. He finished the night with six points, five rebounds and two assists.
