-- Just seeing some people post on Twitter (X) and seeing the reaction of a few on this board during and after every game, it’s simply amazing that some people don’t simply die from a massive heart attack, have a stroke, or destroy everything they own, especially during a game like today. After trailing by 13 points to Indiana on Saturday in Bloomington, Ind., No. 2 Kansas rallied to defeat the Hoosiers, 75-71. If you listened to the podcast a few days ago, I said a big key to the game would be KU’s ability to weather the storm early on.
Kansas got down by 13, trailed by eight at the half, and outscored Indiana, 43-31 in the second half. I saw Bill Self and his squad get blasted on Twitter long before the game ended and, looking back at everything now, it’s somewhat comical how people react long before a game is over. Kansas took its first lead of the game, 62-61, with 4:53 left on the clock. Hunter Dickinson hit a field goal, which finally put the Jayhawks over the hump. With 3:29 left in the game, Kevin McCullar, Jr., gave Kansas the lead for good, 67-64, when his deep three hit nothing but the bottom of the net.
I’m going to rewind a bit and say, without question, the three that Jamari McDowell hit with 9:18 left in the game might have been as big a shot as any hit in the game. Kansas was down by eight and really needed something positive to happen on the offensive end of the court. McDowell squared up his body, set both feet and drilled one of the biggest shots of the game.
Indiana managed to pull within two points of Kansas, 73-71 with 7 seconds left on the clock, but McCullar, Jr., calmly stepped to the free-throw line and hit both shots. Gabe Cupp missed a three at the buzzer, which wouldn’t have made a difference regardless, and Kansas emerged victorious, 75-71. Again, just a huge victory for Bill Self and the Jayhawks.
-- Individually, Kevin McCullar, Jr., set the tone for Kansas on the offensive end of the court. In 37 minutes of action, he scored a team-high 21 points, pulled down six rebounds, dished out four assists, had one block, and three steals. Offensively, it was a struggle for McCullar, Jr., who hit just 3-of-11 field goals and was 2-of-5 from behind the arc but was outstanding from the free-throw line. Against Indiana, McCullar, Jr., drilled 13-of-16 free throws, with 10-of-13 coming in the second half. The thing I’ve noticed about Kevin lately, especially early and late in the game, is he’s getting frustrated with some calls and that frustration is clear in looking at his body language.
There’s no doubt that McCullar, Jr., struggled on the offensive end of the court against Indiana, but he scored 13 points in the second half, and those were big points and made some key plays defensively. He played all 20 minutes in the second half and made an impact on both ends of the court.
-- It was somewhat of an up-and-down day for Hunter Dickinson, the 7-foot-2, 260-pound big man from Alexandria, Va. In playing 38 minutes, Dickinson scored 17 points, pulled down 14 rebounds, dished out one assist, was credited with one steal, and swatted one shot. For the game, Dickinson, who really struggled at times to convert around the basket, hit 8-of-17 field goals and was 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. He attempted just one shot (0-of-1) from behind the arc and committed just one foul.
After watching Dickinson play this season, I really believe that he was fired up for today’s game against Indiana, especially playing in Bloomington. During his time at Michigan, Dickinson became a player that fans of opposing teams, without question, loved to hate. The Indiana fans were ready for KU’s big man the minute he took the court for warmups and I believe that Dickinson was a little sped up today.
Dickinson, in the first half, was 4-of-11 from the field and, as many of you saw, missed some easy buckets at the rim. In the second half, a half in which he played all 20 minutes, Dickinson hit 4-of-6 field goals and pulled down seven rebounds. Obviously, Dickinson didn’t take as many shots in the second half, but was productive around the basket and didn’t appear to be as sped up. It was another big-time performance by Hunter Dickinson.
His basket with 2:33 left in the game increased KU’s lead over Indiana to five, 69-64, and he grabbed two big rebounds late in the game. His last two rebounds came with 1:34 left in the second half and with 19 seconds left in the second half.
-- I’m not sure if you guys/gals have noticed it as well, but KJ Adams, Jr., is playing with a ton of fire and energy, and passion right now. It doesn’t matter if he makes a play or it’s a teammate, his reaction is quite obvious and the emotion he continues to display remains the same. Always clinching his fists or giving a fist bump or simply jumping around as he makes his way back down the court.
On a day when Kansas faced a big-time environment on the road for the first time this season, Adams, Jr., tallied 14 points, four rebounds (all on the offensive end), three assists, one block, and one steal in 36 minutes of action. Offensively, Adams, Jr., connected on 6-of-12 field goals and was 2-of-3 from the free-throw line. We’ve talked about this a lot, and it will continue to be a topic of discussion, but Adams, Jr., simply doesn’t rebound the ball as much as everybody would like him to rebound, but he pulled down four big rebounds on the offensive end of the court today.
On Saturday afternoon, Adams, Jr., was just as productive in the first half as he was in the second half. In the first half, he was 3-of-6 from the field and tallied seven points. In the second half, in 20 minutes of action, he was also 3-of-6 from the field, including 1-of-1 from the free-throw line.
For Adams, Jr., his block with 7:22 left in the game was followed by an assist, which pulled Kansas to within a point of Indiana. His ability to make plays around the basket and play at such a high level, especially in a game like today where Kansas struggled early on, will continue to make this team better moving forward this season.
-- At some point this season, Dajuan Harris must realize that he’s just as important on the offensive end of the court, scoring the basketball, as he is getting his teammates involved. Harris, Jr., who logged 40 minutes against Indiana, finished with 12 points, two rebounds, five assists, three turnovers, and two steals. In all, Harris, Jr., was 5-of-9 from the field and 2-of-4 from behind the arc. He didn’t attempt a free throw and, after scoring just five points in the first half, was much more aggressive looking to score after halftime.
Listen, this has been an issue with Harris, Jr., since he emerged as the starting point guard for Kansas many moons ago. Bill Self, his staff, and his teammates all say he’s got the ability to score the ball, especially from behind the arc. There are times when teams absolutely refuse to defend Harris, Jr., on the perimeter, yet he’s still reluctant to shoot when open. If Kansas is going to reach its full potential this season, Dajuan Harris, Jr., MUST be a factor on the offensive end of the court. I mean, it’s really that simple.
With 7:11 left in the game, Harris pulled Kansas to within one point of Indiana when his three-hit nothing but the bottom of the net. His jumper with 4:16 left on the clock gave the Jayhawks a one-point lead over the Hoosiers, 64-63. His three with 1:11 left in the game increased KU’s lead over IU to five points, 71-66. Dajuan Harris needs to be a factor on the offensive end of the court. He needs to be aggressive and look to score.
-- Lastly, the bench struggled to provide Kansas with any type of lift on Saturday afternoon. Jamari McDowell hit a big three, which I touched on above. Parker Braun tallied two points and Johnny Furphy scored one point in eight minutes. Nicolas Timberlake, in six minutes, was 0-of-2 from behind the arc and 0-of-1 from the free-throw line. Really, I’ve got no idea what to say at this point. I had the highest of expectations for Timberlake when the season started, but it's been a big struggle for sure for the former Towson star.
Kansas got down by 13, trailed by eight at the half, and outscored Indiana, 43-31 in the second half. I saw Bill Self and his squad get blasted on Twitter long before the game ended and, looking back at everything now, it’s somewhat comical how people react long before a game is over. Kansas took its first lead of the game, 62-61, with 4:53 left on the clock. Hunter Dickinson hit a field goal, which finally put the Jayhawks over the hump. With 3:29 left in the game, Kevin McCullar, Jr., gave Kansas the lead for good, 67-64, when his deep three hit nothing but the bottom of the net.
I’m going to rewind a bit and say, without question, the three that Jamari McDowell hit with 9:18 left in the game might have been as big a shot as any hit in the game. Kansas was down by eight and really needed something positive to happen on the offensive end of the court. McDowell squared up his body, set both feet and drilled one of the biggest shots of the game.
Indiana managed to pull within two points of Kansas, 73-71 with 7 seconds left on the clock, but McCullar, Jr., calmly stepped to the free-throw line and hit both shots. Gabe Cupp missed a three at the buzzer, which wouldn’t have made a difference regardless, and Kansas emerged victorious, 75-71. Again, just a huge victory for Bill Self and the Jayhawks.
-- Individually, Kevin McCullar, Jr., set the tone for Kansas on the offensive end of the court. In 37 minutes of action, he scored a team-high 21 points, pulled down six rebounds, dished out four assists, had one block, and three steals. Offensively, it was a struggle for McCullar, Jr., who hit just 3-of-11 field goals and was 2-of-5 from behind the arc but was outstanding from the free-throw line. Against Indiana, McCullar, Jr., drilled 13-of-16 free throws, with 10-of-13 coming in the second half. The thing I’ve noticed about Kevin lately, especially early and late in the game, is he’s getting frustrated with some calls and that frustration is clear in looking at his body language.
There’s no doubt that McCullar, Jr., struggled on the offensive end of the court against Indiana, but he scored 13 points in the second half, and those were big points and made some key plays defensively. He played all 20 minutes in the second half and made an impact on both ends of the court.
-- It was somewhat of an up-and-down day for Hunter Dickinson, the 7-foot-2, 260-pound big man from Alexandria, Va. In playing 38 minutes, Dickinson scored 17 points, pulled down 14 rebounds, dished out one assist, was credited with one steal, and swatted one shot. For the game, Dickinson, who really struggled at times to convert around the basket, hit 8-of-17 field goals and was 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. He attempted just one shot (0-of-1) from behind the arc and committed just one foul.
After watching Dickinson play this season, I really believe that he was fired up for today’s game against Indiana, especially playing in Bloomington. During his time at Michigan, Dickinson became a player that fans of opposing teams, without question, loved to hate. The Indiana fans were ready for KU’s big man the minute he took the court for warmups and I believe that Dickinson was a little sped up today.
Dickinson, in the first half, was 4-of-11 from the field and, as many of you saw, missed some easy buckets at the rim. In the second half, a half in which he played all 20 minutes, Dickinson hit 4-of-6 field goals and pulled down seven rebounds. Obviously, Dickinson didn’t take as many shots in the second half, but was productive around the basket and didn’t appear to be as sped up. It was another big-time performance by Hunter Dickinson.
His basket with 2:33 left in the game increased KU’s lead over Indiana to five, 69-64, and he grabbed two big rebounds late in the game. His last two rebounds came with 1:34 left in the second half and with 19 seconds left in the second half.
-- I’m not sure if you guys/gals have noticed it as well, but KJ Adams, Jr., is playing with a ton of fire and energy, and passion right now. It doesn’t matter if he makes a play or it’s a teammate, his reaction is quite obvious and the emotion he continues to display remains the same. Always clinching his fists or giving a fist bump or simply jumping around as he makes his way back down the court.
On a day when Kansas faced a big-time environment on the road for the first time this season, Adams, Jr., tallied 14 points, four rebounds (all on the offensive end), three assists, one block, and one steal in 36 minutes of action. Offensively, Adams, Jr., connected on 6-of-12 field goals and was 2-of-3 from the free-throw line. We’ve talked about this a lot, and it will continue to be a topic of discussion, but Adams, Jr., simply doesn’t rebound the ball as much as everybody would like him to rebound, but he pulled down four big rebounds on the offensive end of the court today.
On Saturday afternoon, Adams, Jr., was just as productive in the first half as he was in the second half. In the first half, he was 3-of-6 from the field and tallied seven points. In the second half, in 20 minutes of action, he was also 3-of-6 from the field, including 1-of-1 from the free-throw line.
For Adams, Jr., his block with 7:22 left in the game was followed by an assist, which pulled Kansas to within a point of Indiana. His ability to make plays around the basket and play at such a high level, especially in a game like today where Kansas struggled early on, will continue to make this team better moving forward this season.
-- At some point this season, Dajuan Harris must realize that he’s just as important on the offensive end of the court, scoring the basketball, as he is getting his teammates involved. Harris, Jr., who logged 40 minutes against Indiana, finished with 12 points, two rebounds, five assists, three turnovers, and two steals. In all, Harris, Jr., was 5-of-9 from the field and 2-of-4 from behind the arc. He didn’t attempt a free throw and, after scoring just five points in the first half, was much more aggressive looking to score after halftime.
Listen, this has been an issue with Harris, Jr., since he emerged as the starting point guard for Kansas many moons ago. Bill Self, his staff, and his teammates all say he’s got the ability to score the ball, especially from behind the arc. There are times when teams absolutely refuse to defend Harris, Jr., on the perimeter, yet he’s still reluctant to shoot when open. If Kansas is going to reach its full potential this season, Dajuan Harris, Jr., MUST be a factor on the offensive end of the court. I mean, it’s really that simple.
With 7:11 left in the game, Harris pulled Kansas to within one point of Indiana when his three-hit nothing but the bottom of the net. His jumper with 4:16 left on the clock gave the Jayhawks a one-point lead over the Hoosiers, 64-63. His three with 1:11 left in the game increased KU’s lead over IU to five points, 71-66. Dajuan Harris needs to be a factor on the offensive end of the court. He needs to be aggressive and look to score.
-- Lastly, the bench struggled to provide Kansas with any type of lift on Saturday afternoon. Jamari McDowell hit a big three, which I touched on above. Parker Braun tallied two points and Johnny Furphy scored one point in eight minutes. Nicolas Timberlake, in six minutes, was 0-of-2 from behind the arc and 0-of-1 from the free-throw line. Really, I’ve got no idea what to say at this point. I had the highest of expectations for Timberlake when the season started, but it's been a big struggle for sure for the former Towson star.
