KU basketball withstands close call vs. Cincinnati. Here are three takeaways
Kansas forward KJ Adams emphatically pumped his arm, snapped his wrist and let out a roar.
It was a well-earned celebration. Adams had absorbed the body contact and converted a tough layup to put Kansas up seven with 5:52 left against Cincinnati.
It was precisely the kind of play the Jayhawks needed on a night where everything was a battle.
No. 7 Kansas beat Cincinnati 74-69 on Monday at Allen Fieldhouse.
It was a tight game — closer than expected — throughout.
In fact, the game was tied at 35-all at halftime, when KU honored former center Bill “Skinny” Johnson by hanging his No. 33 jersey in the rafters. Although UC was within striking distance most of the second half, the Bearcats never could gain control.
Johnny Furphy scored a career-high 23 points and Kevin McCullar added 20 points as KU (16-3, 4-2 Big 12) bounced back from a loss at West Virginia and won its third straight game against UC.
Next, Kansas will travel to Ames to play Iowa State on Saturday.
Until then, here are some takeaways from Monday’s game:
Furphy makes his mark
Since Furphy joined KU’s starting lineup, Kansas has had a tendency for starting red-hot.
The Jayhawks raced out to a 10-2 lead, with Furphy accounting for five points off a 3-pointer and layup. He had 10 points on 3-for-3 shooting along with six rebounds at half.
It’s clear that Furphy is the energizer that this Kansas team so desperately needs. And on Monday, he found a way to sustain it for the entire game.
He added 13 points in the second half, finishing with a total of 23 on 7-for-8 shooting. He added 11 rebounds and two steals.
KU’s defense excels
Kansas came into the game ranked No. 26 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom.com. It’s a solid mark, albeit one the Jayhawks have been well ahead of in recent years.
Well, KU looked even better than that ranking on Monday.
The Jayhawks did an excellent job of contesting shots and preventing buckets on the initial shots by UC, but were hurt by surrendering 16 offensive rebounds that led to 13 second-chance points.
Still, KU held Cincinnati to 24-for-61 (39.3%) shooting, including an abysmal 3-for-18 (16.7%) mark from deep.
Games like this illustrate how good Kansas can be at defense when the team is fully locked in and focused.
KU struggles on the boards ... again
After Kansas’ loss to West Virginia on Saturday, coach Bill Self said KU couldn’t have Furphy leading the team in rebounds at halftime.
Well, it happened again on Monday.
Furphy led Kansas with six rebounds in the first half, with no other player having more than two. Cincinnati had a 21-12 rebounding advantage and a six-point lead in second-chance points (9-3) at that time.
Hunter Dickinson, KU’s 7-foot-2 big man, had only two rebounds in the half and six for the game. This game follows after he only had five rebounds against West Virginia.
Meanwhile, McCullar, who came in averaging 6.4 rebounds a game, had zero at the half.
Simply said, Kansas needs more from Dickinson and McCullar on the glass. And players outside of Furphy need to step up when the team is struggling to rebound like this.
UC finished with an 11-rebound advantage (40-29), plus 10 more offensive rebounds (16-6).
