On an afternoon when temperatures dropped below 0 degrees, Kansas fans came to see their Jayhawks defeat the Sooners 78-66 in a top-10 matchup.
It was close at the start, with both teams going back and forth in the first half, but the Kansas Jayhawks used a late second-half run to pull away. Below are three takeaways from the matchup.
Takeaway #1: Kansas’ stars shined brightest in the second half
In a game like this, you need your stars to come up big in the second half to win. That was the case on Saturday, as Kevin McCullar and Hunter Dickinson both had big second halves to lead the Jayhawks. McCullar had 15 points after just 6 in the first half, while Dickinson added 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Both players underperformed late in the UCF game, a big reason for the defeat. If they can continue to have performances like this in games that matter when the team needs them, Kansas will play to the potential many think they have.
Takeaway #2: The Kansas Jayhawks seem to have found their 5th starter
After starting Elmarko Jackson all season, Bill Self decided to make a switch, starting freshman Johnny Furphy. While his numbers aren’t eye-popping, he still finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. Defensively, he’s a huge upgrade, and if they can get 7-for-10 a night from him, he will fit his role perfectly. It’s just a one-game sample size, but it’s definitely an encouraging one.
Takeaway #3: Kansas dominates the turnover battle
Any good coach, basketball analyst, or player will tell you that the winner of the turnover battle usually wins the game. Today, it wasn’t even close as Kansas had an 11-2 advantage in the battle. The Jayhawks typically average 12.8 a game, so being able to protect the ball at this level makes it difficult for any team to beat them. We saw the opposite against UCF when Kansas had 18 turnovers compared to UCF’s 13 and lost.
Next game for the Kansas Jayhawks: at Oklahoma State (Jan. 16 – 9 p.m.)
Next game for Oklahoma Sooners: vs. West Virginia (Jan. 17 – 8 p.m.)