Kansas forward K.J. Adams Jr. (24) celebrates after a lob jam against TCU tduring the first half on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug
The Kansas Jayhawks began Big 12 play with a 83-81 win over the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse. No. 2 Kansas (13-1) has now won 33 consecutive conference openers dating back to the 1991-92 season.
In a back-and-forth track meet of a game that featured 26 lead changes, it was the home team that got the last say in this one. And it all came down to a crucial call in the closing minute.
Trailing 79-77 with under a minute to go, KU’s Kevin McCullar Jr. turned the ball over trying to feed the ball to big man Hunter Dickinson. Ernest Udeh Jr., who transferred to TCU from KU this past offseason, was then called for a flagrant foul after he appeared to reach back and hit Dickinson in the face.
Dickinson then proceeded to hit both free throws to even the score. With the added bonus of keeping the ball, Kansas point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. then hit a tough shot to give the Jayhawks a 81-79 lead with 43 seconds left to go.
TCU (11-3) responded immediately with a game-tying layup, but Dickinson removed any doubt with the bucket through multiple defenders with 3.4 seconds remaining. The Jayhawks were able to hang on for the win after the Horned Frogs missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Dickinson led the way for the Jayhawks in the win, scoring 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds. K.J. Adams Jr. added 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds to record a double-double. McCullar finished with 16 points.
Kansas will travel to UCF on Wednesday.
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111694Quick recap: Kansas tops TCU in Big 12 opener
Written By Shane Jackson
