Kansas Basketball Survives a Second Half Surge by UNC: 3 Takeaways

In a classic top 10 matchup, Kansas basketball survived a late-game surge from UNC to advance to 2-0.

This game went from blowout to nail-biter fast after Kansas blew a 20 first half point lead. However, a missed three at the buzzer by Elliott Ceadeau secured Kansas another win at Allen Fieldhouse, and a resume win that will hold weight in March. Read below for three takeaways from this one.

Takeaway #1: This was a true tale of two halves

Kansas came into this game with a purpose. KJ Adams was hitting floater after floater, the three-pointers were falling, and Kansas basketball found themselves up 51-31 with 1:06 left in the first. It was looking like another Allen Fieldhouse masterclass from Bill Self. UNC couldn’t make a shot and were really struggling defensively. However, they didn’t give up, a trait of a great team

UNC quickly cut it to 10, and took their first lead with six minutes remaining. They benefitted significantly from free throw shooting, taking 17 in the second half. From there, it was back and forth, but Kansas had just enough to pull off the win. You can write three takeaways on this bullet point itself, but this game gives both teams a lot of valuable tape to use to evaluate what is working and what isn’t.

Takeaway #2: Harris and the guards shut down R.J Davis

In the preview article, the key point to this game was whether Dajuan Harris and the Kansas guards would be able to prevent R.J Davis from having a big game. Davis is one of the best scorers in the country, and if he’s going, this team is hard to stop. He did finish with 16 thanks to 9-11 free throw shooting, but shot an abysmal 3-15 from the field. Having Davis as a smaller threat allowed them to limit UNC’s other guards as well.

The Big 12 is filled with really talented guards. This will be a great blueprint for Kansas basketball, demonstrating how to defend these guards and force the less talented bigs to beat them. UNC was close thanks to a breakout shooting game from Jae’lyn Withers, but not having Davis, especially late was a difference maker.

Takeaway #3: UNC’s defensive woes not a fluke

UNC allowed 76 points against an Elon team ranked 260th in offensive efficiency by KenPom. People were saying it was a look-ahead game and they took their foot off the gas since they knew they would win. However, Friday proved that there are some serious long-term concerns. They allowed 92 today, with four Kansas basketball players scoring in double figures.

The good news is, the offensive looks great, scoring 90 and 89 in two games, but if they can’t get the defense figured out, they’ll finish in a much less favorable spot than they’d like to end the season.

Bonus Takeaway: Zeke Mayo continues to shine

Kansas basketball fans everywhere are having the times of their lives seeing Zeke Mayo playing at this level after the depth disaster last year. Mayo once again led the team with 21 points, while adding 5 rebounds and four assists. He’s exactly what they need, and ended today’s press conference by saying “This is what I came here for”. Mayo won’t have to lead the team in scoring every game, but if he consistently scores 15 or more, which he’s shown he’s capable of, then this team is championship-level good.