On Tuesday night, No. 2 Kansas (8-1) defeated Kansas City (3-6), 88-69. Offensively, the Jayhawks were led by Kevin McCullar, Jr., who scored a career-high 25 points, KJ Adams, Jr (18), Hunter Dickinson (14), and Johnny Furphy (10).
The postgame press conference just wrapped up, so here are some takeaways from tonight’s game
-- Kansas really needs to find a way to close out games when presented with the opportunity moving forward this season. The Jayhawks had so many chances to crack Kansas City in both the first and second half but didn’t really take control of the game until the closing minutes of the game.
We all know that this game was never in doubt, but Kansas City made a run at Kansas and kept it close until the very end. In looking over the stats, Kansas closed the game on a 13-2 run, which turned out to be a big difference in the final score.
Not every game is going to be a blowout and I understand that, but Kansas was a heavy favorite against Eastern Illinois and Kansas City and allowed both to remain within striking distance for far too long.
It hasn’t cost Kansas yet, but at some point, this season, Kansas could very well drop a game or multiple games if they allow opponents to hang around instead of delivering the knockout blow.
-- What a season Kevin McCullar, Jr., is having so far. Against Kansas City, he scored a career-high 25 points, pulled down six rebounds, dished out five assists, blocked one shot, and was credited with two steals in 34 minutes of action.
In all, McCullar, was 9-of-13 from the field, 2-of-2 from behind the arc, and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. When McCullar, Jr., is clocking on all cylinders and the shots are falling, this is simply a different Kansas team.
We all know that McCullar, Jr., has the ability to score the ball in different ways, but when he’s scoring from all three levels and everybody else around him is producing on the offensive end of the court, Kansas is as good as any team in college basketball.
This type of performance isn’t going to happen every night, at least it's not likely, but if Kevin can score from all three levels, on somewhat of a consistent basis, Kansas, as a team, is on another level.
Kevin McCullar, Jr., without question, was a star against Kansas City.
-- Kevin McCullar, Jr., might have scored a career-high 25 points against Kansas City, but it was KJ Adams, Jr., according to Bill Self, that was the best player on the court. In 32 minutes of action, Adams, Jr., scored 18 points, pulled down seven rebounds, dished out six assists, and was credited with four steals.
After a slow start, Adams, Jr., converted 6-of-9 field goals and was 6-of-10 from the free-throw line. After struggling from the free-throw line early on in the season, Adams, Jr., has steadily improved from the charity stripe.
In terms of his scoring, it was the typical “KJ Adams, Jr.,” type of game. He scored around the basket, off lobs, and on a couple of plays Self came up with following a timeout, which took place under the basket.
Let’s remember, Adams, Jr., having just laid his mother to rest, hasn’t slept much lately, Self even mentioned that during his post-game press conference. In fact, I believe Self commented on Adams, Jr., hopefully being able to get some sleep tonight.
With everything he’s experienced this season, especially the last couple of weeks, it's amazing what he’s been able to do on the court.
I remember losing my dad to Cancer on April 29, 2021, and I can’t imagine going out and having the courage and strength, and determination to do what Adams, Jr., is doing now.
-- It was kind of an up-and-down game for Hunter Dickinson. In 29 minutes of action, he tallied 29 points, pulled down 12 rebounds, dished out two assists, blocked one shot, and was credited with one steal.
For the game, Dickinson was 6-of-12 from the field, 0-of-2 from behind the arc, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. He was strong in the paint in scoring and rebounding the basketball, but with Kevin and KJ leading the way offensively, Hunter wasn’t leaned on as much on the offensive end of the court.
Here’s the thing with Hunter Dickinson, and he’s been an absolute stud this season. He was hit with a flagrant foul in the first half after pushing a Kansas City player to the court. We all know that Dickinson plays with a ton of confidence and swagger and fire and everything in between.
It’s clear that Hunter Dickinson is who Hunter Dickinson is and that’s not going to change, nor should it. It’s not just about scoring points with Hunter, but how he plays the game and the confidence he plays it with. There are going to be some intense games this season and Dickinson is going to be a target by fans and possibly even some opposing players.
My guess is Self doesn’t want to change anything about Hunter, but when push comes to shove, I hope he keeps his cool and doesn’t allow his emotions to get the best of him.
-- After going scoreless in the first half, freshman Johnny Furphy tallied 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 from behind the arc. Against Kansas City, Furphy just looked off in the first half and attempted just one shot in six minutes.
In logging eight minutes in the second half, Furphy was clearly more aggressive and was absolutely looking for his shot. Not sure if it was just one of those nights, at least in the first half, where he was feeling the game out or just overthinking, but he was a completely different player, despite playing just eight minutes, in the second half.
If Kansas is going to reach its full potential this season, Johnny Furphy must be a player. He’s too talented and has the ability to be a real difference-maker from behind the arc. He’s going to struggle at times, but he continues to take steps in the right direction.
-- I’ll be interested to see what Self does with the starting rotation moving forward. I’m beginning to wonder if Self will eventually replace Elmarko Jackson with Johnny Furphy. Self is the best in the business and he’s going to do what’s best for this team. However, I’d be interested to see how this team looks, over an extended period of time, with Furphy in the starting rotation.
Off the bench, Furphy scored 10 points against Kansas City. Parker Braun added five points, Nicolas Timberlake tallied three points, and Jamari McDowell went scoreless.
I’m not sure when, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see a lineup of Dajuan Harris, Jr., Johnny Furphy, Kevin McCullar, Jr., KJ Adans, Jr., and Hunter Dickinson before the end of the season.
The postgame press conference just wrapped up, so here are some takeaways from tonight’s game
-- Kansas really needs to find a way to close out games when presented with the opportunity moving forward this season. The Jayhawks had so many chances to crack Kansas City in both the first and second half but didn’t really take control of the game until the closing minutes of the game.
We all know that this game was never in doubt, but Kansas City made a run at Kansas and kept it close until the very end. In looking over the stats, Kansas closed the game on a 13-2 run, which turned out to be a big difference in the final score.
Not every game is going to be a blowout and I understand that, but Kansas was a heavy favorite against Eastern Illinois and Kansas City and allowed both to remain within striking distance for far too long.
It hasn’t cost Kansas yet, but at some point, this season, Kansas could very well drop a game or multiple games if they allow opponents to hang around instead of delivering the knockout blow.
-- What a season Kevin McCullar, Jr., is having so far. Against Kansas City, he scored a career-high 25 points, pulled down six rebounds, dished out five assists, blocked one shot, and was credited with two steals in 34 minutes of action.
In all, McCullar, was 9-of-13 from the field, 2-of-2 from behind the arc, and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. When McCullar, Jr., is clocking on all cylinders and the shots are falling, this is simply a different Kansas team.
We all know that McCullar, Jr., has the ability to score the ball in different ways, but when he’s scoring from all three levels and everybody else around him is producing on the offensive end of the court, Kansas is as good as any team in college basketball.
This type of performance isn’t going to happen every night, at least it's not likely, but if Kevin can score from all three levels, on somewhat of a consistent basis, Kansas, as a team, is on another level.
Kevin McCullar, Jr., without question, was a star against Kansas City.
-- Kevin McCullar, Jr., might have scored a career-high 25 points against Kansas City, but it was KJ Adams, Jr., according to Bill Self, that was the best player on the court. In 32 minutes of action, Adams, Jr., scored 18 points, pulled down seven rebounds, dished out six assists, and was credited with four steals.
After a slow start, Adams, Jr., converted 6-of-9 field goals and was 6-of-10 from the free-throw line. After struggling from the free-throw line early on in the season, Adams, Jr., has steadily improved from the charity stripe.
In terms of his scoring, it was the typical “KJ Adams, Jr.,” type of game. He scored around the basket, off lobs, and on a couple of plays Self came up with following a timeout, which took place under the basket.
Let’s remember, Adams, Jr., having just laid his mother to rest, hasn’t slept much lately, Self even mentioned that during his post-game press conference. In fact, I believe Self commented on Adams, Jr., hopefully being able to get some sleep tonight.
With everything he’s experienced this season, especially the last couple of weeks, it's amazing what he’s been able to do on the court.
I remember losing my dad to Cancer on April 29, 2021, and I can’t imagine going out and having the courage and strength, and determination to do what Adams, Jr., is doing now.
-- It was kind of an up-and-down game for Hunter Dickinson. In 29 minutes of action, he tallied 29 points, pulled down 12 rebounds, dished out two assists, blocked one shot, and was credited with one steal.
For the game, Dickinson was 6-of-12 from the field, 0-of-2 from behind the arc, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. He was strong in the paint in scoring and rebounding the basketball, but with Kevin and KJ leading the way offensively, Hunter wasn’t leaned on as much on the offensive end of the court.
Here’s the thing with Hunter Dickinson, and he’s been an absolute stud this season. He was hit with a flagrant foul in the first half after pushing a Kansas City player to the court. We all know that Dickinson plays with a ton of confidence and swagger and fire and everything in between.
It’s clear that Hunter Dickinson is who Hunter Dickinson is and that’s not going to change, nor should it. It’s not just about scoring points with Hunter, but how he plays the game and the confidence he plays it with. There are going to be some intense games this season and Dickinson is going to be a target by fans and possibly even some opposing players.
My guess is Self doesn’t want to change anything about Hunter, but when push comes to shove, I hope he keeps his cool and doesn’t allow his emotions to get the best of him.
-- After going scoreless in the first half, freshman Johnny Furphy tallied 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 from behind the arc. Against Kansas City, Furphy just looked off in the first half and attempted just one shot in six minutes.
In logging eight minutes in the second half, Furphy was clearly more aggressive and was absolutely looking for his shot. Not sure if it was just one of those nights, at least in the first half, where he was feeling the game out or just overthinking, but he was a completely different player, despite playing just eight minutes, in the second half.
If Kansas is going to reach its full potential this season, Johnny Furphy must be a player. He’s too talented and has the ability to be a real difference-maker from behind the arc. He’s going to struggle at times, but he continues to take steps in the right direction.
-- I’ll be interested to see what Self does with the starting rotation moving forward. I’m beginning to wonder if Self will eventually replace Elmarko Jackson with Johnny Furphy. Self is the best in the business and he’s going to do what’s best for this team. However, I’d be interested to see how this team looks, over an extended period of time, with Furphy in the starting rotation.
Off the bench, Furphy scored 10 points against Kansas City. Parker Braun added five points, Nicolas Timberlake tallied three points, and Jamari McDowell went scoreless.
I’m not sure when, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see a lineup of Dajuan Harris, Jr., Johnny Furphy, Kevin McCullar, Jr., KJ Adans, Jr., and Hunter Dickinson before the end of the season.
