Kansas went bonkers from behind the arc
After hitting just 9-of-40 shots from behind the arc in two exhibition games, No. 1 Kansas went bonkers from three in the season opener on Monday night. In defeating North Carolina Central, 99-56, Bill Self’s squad connected on 13-of-23 shots from behind the arc.
In all, Hunter Dickinson went 3-of-3, Kevin McCullar, Jr., 4-of-7, Nicolas Timberlake 3-of-4, Johnny Furphy 2-of-4, and Michael Jankovich was 1-of-2 connected from deep.
Minutes after the game, I asked Coach Self about KU’s shooting performance against North Carolina Central.
"Yeah, I think you know, our top eight rotation guys shot 72%, 60% from three, and 100% from the line,” said Kansas Head Coach Bill Self after the game. "You know, it looks so much different when the ball goes in the hole, but our ball and body movement was so much better. We played with more pace, we played with more enthusiasm and passion.
“Of course, it's a lot easier when you make shots and, you know, they couldn't throw it in the ocean early,” he added. "But I tell you what, that first half or the first 25 minutes, that ball moved. I mean, it seemed like to me we got everything we wanted, even when we didn't score.”
Kevin McCullar, Jr., continued his impressive play in the season-opener.
It was another impressive outing for Kevin McCullar, Jr., the 6-foot-7, 212-pound guard from San Antonio, Texas on Monday night. In 23 minutes of action, McCullar, Jr., scored a game-high 22 points, pulled down six rebounds, and dished out five assists.
Offensively, McCullar, Jr., against North Carolina Central, hit 8-of-12 field goals, 4-of-7 shots from behind the arc, and was perfect (2-of-2) from the free-throw line. In the first exhibition game of the season, a loss at Illinois, McCullar, Jr., scored a team-high 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 shots from three and 5-of-9 from the free-throw line.
Against Fort Hays State, McCullar, Jr., once again, led the way with 21 points in 28 minutes of action. In all, he was 6-of-10 from the field, 4-of-8 from behind the arc, and 5-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Everything about his shot looks the same, so the biggest change early on has been his level of confidence. McCullar, Jr, without question, is playing the best basketball of his career.
Hunter Dickinson was on a different level on Monday night
A case can be made that Hunter Dickinson, the 7-foot-2, 260-pound center from Alexandria, Va., was the best player on the court against North Carolina Central on Monday night. Dickinson, who scored the first seven points of the game for Kansas, tallied 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two blocks against the Eagles.
Dickinson, in 23 minutes, connected on 8-of-9 field goals, 3-of-3 shots from behind the arc, and was a perfect 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Dickinson, without question, could have easily scored more than 30 points in the season opener, but with the game well in hand, he was limited to just 23 minutes.
Listen, when Dickinson is playing his best and on top of his game, he’s as difficult to defend as any player in college basketball. He can score from all three levels, runs the court extremely well, rebounds on both ends of the court, and protects the paint with his shot-blocking ability.
After the game, North Carolina Central Head Coach LeVelle Moton had this to say about Hunter Dickinson
“You have to pray, you have to go to church and get a strong service in,” Moton said of matching up with Dickinson. “He’s going to be a problem, and he’s not just going to be a problem for North Carolina Central. He’s going to be a problem for everyone.”
Nicolas Timberlake makes Kansas debut with family in attendance
During his time at Towson, Nicolas Timberlake, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard from Braintree, Mass., never made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In transferring to Kansas, Timberlake is playing for a team that enters the season No. 1 and, without question, is a legitimate National Championship contender.
With his parents and other family members in attendance, Timberlake, on Monday night, scored 13 points in 22 minutes of action. In all, he hit 4-of-5 field goals, 3-of-4 shots from behind the arc, and was 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.
After the game, I asked Timberlake about his journey from Towson, his debut, and playing in front of his parents and uncle.
“Yea, you know, it's crazy,” said Timberlake on Monday night. “My uncle's here too, so it's even better just having them in the Fieldhouse for the first game, my first game, so it's been great. And then I was telling Coach Dooley on the bench that it's much better being on this side than it is being on the losing side. I’ve been on the losing side in a lot of these games before, just when we play high major teams at Towson. But, I mean, winning is a lot of fun.
Who else stood out against the Eagles?
-- Dajuan Harris, in 24 minutes of action, dished out 10 assists and committed just two turnovers in helping lead Kansas to a blowout victory over North Carolina Central. Offensively, Harris, Jr., didn’t attempt a field goal or a free throw.
-- It was another solid outing for KJ Adams, Jr. In 22 minutes of action, KU’s talented junior scored 12 points, pulled down five rebounds, dished out two assists, and was credited with one steal. Overall, he connected on 6-of-8 field goals.
-- I think that it's safe to say that Parker Braun is going to log some major minutes for Kansas this season. In coming off the bench, Braun, in 20 minutes, scored 10 points, pulled down five rebounds, dished out three assists, and was credited with one block. Offensively, he connected on 5-of-6 field goals and had a couple of dunks on lobs from Dajuan Harris.
After hitting just 9-of-40 shots from behind the arc in two exhibition games, No. 1 Kansas went bonkers from three in the season opener on Monday night. In defeating North Carolina Central, 99-56, Bill Self’s squad connected on 13-of-23 shots from behind the arc.
In all, Hunter Dickinson went 3-of-3, Kevin McCullar, Jr., 4-of-7, Nicolas Timberlake 3-of-4, Johnny Furphy 2-of-4, and Michael Jankovich was 1-of-2 connected from deep.
Minutes after the game, I asked Coach Self about KU’s shooting performance against North Carolina Central.
"Yeah, I think you know, our top eight rotation guys shot 72%, 60% from three, and 100% from the line,” said Kansas Head Coach Bill Self after the game. "You know, it looks so much different when the ball goes in the hole, but our ball and body movement was so much better. We played with more pace, we played with more enthusiasm and passion.
“Of course, it's a lot easier when you make shots and, you know, they couldn't throw it in the ocean early,” he added. "But I tell you what, that first half or the first 25 minutes, that ball moved. I mean, it seemed like to me we got everything we wanted, even when we didn't score.”
Kevin McCullar, Jr., continued his impressive play in the season-opener.
It was another impressive outing for Kevin McCullar, Jr., the 6-foot-7, 212-pound guard from San Antonio, Texas on Monday night. In 23 minutes of action, McCullar, Jr., scored a game-high 22 points, pulled down six rebounds, and dished out five assists.
Offensively, McCullar, Jr., against North Carolina Central, hit 8-of-12 field goals, 4-of-7 shots from behind the arc, and was perfect (2-of-2) from the free-throw line. In the first exhibition game of the season, a loss at Illinois, McCullar, Jr., scored a team-high 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 shots from three and 5-of-9 from the free-throw line.
Against Fort Hays State, McCullar, Jr., once again, led the way with 21 points in 28 minutes of action. In all, he was 6-of-10 from the field, 4-of-8 from behind the arc, and 5-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Everything about his shot looks the same, so the biggest change early on has been his level of confidence. McCullar, Jr, without question, is playing the best basketball of his career.
Hunter Dickinson was on a different level on Monday night
A case can be made that Hunter Dickinson, the 7-foot-2, 260-pound center from Alexandria, Va., was the best player on the court against North Carolina Central on Monday night. Dickinson, who scored the first seven points of the game for Kansas, tallied 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two blocks against the Eagles.
Dickinson, in 23 minutes, connected on 8-of-9 field goals, 3-of-3 shots from behind the arc, and was a perfect 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Dickinson, without question, could have easily scored more than 30 points in the season opener, but with the game well in hand, he was limited to just 23 minutes.
Listen, when Dickinson is playing his best and on top of his game, he’s as difficult to defend as any player in college basketball. He can score from all three levels, runs the court extremely well, rebounds on both ends of the court, and protects the paint with his shot-blocking ability.
After the game, North Carolina Central Head Coach LeVelle Moton had this to say about Hunter Dickinson
“You have to pray, you have to go to church and get a strong service in,” Moton said of matching up with Dickinson. “He’s going to be a problem, and he’s not just going to be a problem for North Carolina Central. He’s going to be a problem for everyone.”
Nicolas Timberlake makes Kansas debut with family in attendance
During his time at Towson, Nicolas Timberlake, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard from Braintree, Mass., never made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In transferring to Kansas, Timberlake is playing for a team that enters the season No. 1 and, without question, is a legitimate National Championship contender.
With his parents and other family members in attendance, Timberlake, on Monday night, scored 13 points in 22 minutes of action. In all, he hit 4-of-5 field goals, 3-of-4 shots from behind the arc, and was 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.
After the game, I asked Timberlake about his journey from Towson, his debut, and playing in front of his parents and uncle.
“Yea, you know, it's crazy,” said Timberlake on Monday night. “My uncle's here too, so it's even better just having them in the Fieldhouse for the first game, my first game, so it's been great. And then I was telling Coach Dooley on the bench that it's much better being on this side than it is being on the losing side. I’ve been on the losing side in a lot of these games before, just when we play high major teams at Towson. But, I mean, winning is a lot of fun.
Who else stood out against the Eagles?
-- Dajuan Harris, in 24 minutes of action, dished out 10 assists and committed just two turnovers in helping lead Kansas to a blowout victory over North Carolina Central. Offensively, Harris, Jr., didn’t attempt a field goal or a free throw.
-- It was another solid outing for KJ Adams, Jr. In 22 minutes of action, KU’s talented junior scored 12 points, pulled down five rebounds, dished out two assists, and was credited with one steal. Overall, he connected on 6-of-8 field goals.
-- I think that it's safe to say that Parker Braun is going to log some major minutes for Kansas this season. In coming off the bench, Braun, in 20 minutes, scored 10 points, pulled down five rebounds, dished out three assists, and was credited with one block. Offensively, he connected on 5-of-6 field goals and had a couple of dunks on lobs from Dajuan Harris.
