Three takeaways from KU basketball’s top-10 win vs. Oklahoma inside Allen Fieldhouse
The Kansas men’s basketball team needed a game like this.
After getting upset by unranked UCF on Wednesday, the Jayhawks slowly took control and won comfortably against the Oklahoma Sooners.
The No. 3-ranked Jayhawks dominated No. 9 Oklahoma to win 78-66 on Saturday inside Allen Fieldhouse.
Hunter Dickinson scored 24 points with five blocks and Kevin McCullar added 21 points as KU (14-2, 2-1 Big 12) won its 14th straight game at Allen Fieldhouse.
While the final margin was a comfortable one, it took time for KU to gain control. The Jayhawks led by just one, 38-37, at halftime, before a 9-0 run midway through the second half broke the game open.
At the end of the stretch, KU led 74-58. Dickinson and McCullar combined for 29 points in the second half alone.
Up next: Kansas will travel to Stillwater to play Oklahoma State on Tuesday, Jan. 16.
Until them, here are some takeaways from Saturday’s game:
KJ Adams was everywhere
Boy, KJ Adams had a first half to remember.
The forward seemed like he was everywhere on the court — grabbing rebounds, leading fast breaks and scoring tough buckets inside. He even hit a jumper — a rare sight for him.
One of the most impressive sequences came midway through the first half. KU point guard Dajuan Harris blew a layup, but Adams came through multiple defenders, collected the board and converted a tough bucket.
Adams had 15 points, eight rebounds and two assists at the half. He added another two rebounds and an assist to his final stat line, finishing with his second double-double in his last three games.
Johnny Furphy makes an impact in start
On Friday, Kansas coach Bill Self announced freshman Johnny Furphy would start, instead of fellow freshman Elmarko Jackson.
What exactly was he looking for?
“Just looking at something different, and maybe (it) will be good for Elmarko coming off the bench, kind of watching what’s going on first,” Self said.
Well, Self certainly got something different from Furphy. Just a few minutes into the game, he made his impact felt.
First, he hustled and got an offensive rebound that gave KU another possession, though Dickinson missed the shot.
Then he did it again, leading to a KJ Adams jumper. Furphy did what Jackson hasn’t done in the last few games — make an impact as KU’s fifth option.
It’s clear that when he’s out on the court, good things tend to happen. He played 19 minutes, finishing with seven points, three rebounds and two steals.
That said — he did get into a little bit of foul trouble, finishing with three fouls.
KU’s 3-point shooting continues to concern
Heading into the game, the Kansas Jayhawks ranked No. 313 in 3-point rate (31.1%) nationally.
That mark, so far, is the lowest ever in the Self era despite the team ranking No. 27 nationally in 3-point percentage (37.8%). To date, it’s clear this is not a willing 3-point-shooting team.
That’s part of why this game stayed close for as long as it did.
At the 15-minute mark in the second half, KU was 1-for-9 (11.1%) from deep. Kansas finished shooting 3-for-15 (20%).
In modern basketball, winning games without being willing to take (and make) 3-pointers is hard.
But fortunately for the Jayhawks, OU struggled shooting as well. The Sooners went just 6-for-20 (30%) from 3-point land.
