No. 1 KU basketball bounces back vs. No. 7 Tennessee in Maui Invitational: Takeaways
After winning the 2015 and 2019 Maui Invitational championship games, the Kansas Jayhawks faced a different type of challenge Wednesday morning in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
That is: how to get out of a hotel bed at 5:15 a.m. in a city 3,850 miles from home and, from 9:30 a.m. until about 11:30, muster enough energy to win the third-place game in the prestigious holiday hoops event.
It’s safe to say No. 1-ranked KU aced the test, defeating No. 7 Tennessee 69-60 Wednesday morning — just 13 hours after losing to Marquette in the tourney semifinals — and assuring a winning 2-1 record at the invitational.
“We’ve been super resilient. That’s what our culture is, getting up after being down,” KU freshman Elmarko Jackson said prior to the game. “We wanted to play in the championship game. But this is another big game against another top-10 team in the country. We’re excited for it.”
Hunter Dickinson scored 17 points and grabbed 20 rebounds. Kevin McCullar added 14 points and KJ Adams scored 13 as KU improved to 5-1 on the season.
The Jayhawks led for 25:35 of game time. Their largest lead reached 11 points. Tennessee’s last lead came at the 14:40 mark in the second half.
Tennessee (4-2), which beat Syracuse in the first round in Maui on Monday before losing to Purdue in the semis Tuesday, was led by Santiago Vescovi (21 points), plus Dalton Knecht and Jordan Gainey, who had 13 points.
Here are some takeaways from the game. …
Gaining some revenge
The Jayhawks — who fell to Tennessee 64-50 in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis last year in the Bahamas and lost to UT 80-61 on Jan, 30, 2021, in Knoxville — improved to 5-3 all-time against the Vols.
“They’re better this year,” KU coach Bill Self said before the game, referring to UT. “I’ve never coached AAU ball. That’s what I told our guys: ‘You’ve all done this before. I haven’t.’ It’s a short turnaround. This is a gut-check today.”
McDowell produces
Guard Jamari McDowell had great production off the bench, hitting two 3s and scoring seven points and playing active defense.
McDowell, who also played down the stretch against Kentucky, had four rebounds, one assist and a block.
Timberlake injured in first half
Nick Timberlake, who had scored two points, dove for a loose ball at midcourt and was injured with 10:28 left in the first half and the game tied at 14. He headed to the locker room and walked off under his own power. He returned to the bench shortly after.
Timberlake took part in halftime warmups but did not return to the game. He finished with two points in a turnover in just three minutes. The season has been a struggle for the transfer sharpshooter so far. He is 4-for-15 (26.7%) from 3.
KU’s bench hit with technical
Miffed at a no-call despite KJ Adams going down to the floor on the offensive end, KU’s bench was hit with a technical foul with 8:00 left in the first half. UT’s Dalton Knecht hit two free throws and KU trailed 24-17.
The Jayhawks also received a technical (as did Marquette) for a scuffle between the two sides during Tuesday’s semifinal game.
Large crowd of KU fans attend game
KU had a cheering section of several hundred fans seated behind the Jayhawk bench. Self’s three grandchildren were in the stands. Actor Vince Vaughn was also in the house for the game and shown on the video board to applause.
Likewise, both teams passed the energy test playing in the morning. KJ Adams had an inside stick-back and hit a free throw after being fouled on the play with 17:43 left, giving KU a 42-40 lead. Knecht went up high to catch an inbounds pass and slam with 5:21 left in the first half.
Also, Elmarko Jackson played great perimeter defense forcing a shot clock violation in the opening minutes, and Dickinson had a fierce block on Tobe Awaka also in the early going.
