Home underdogs? No problem. Kansas blasts No. 4 Houston in Allen Fieldhouse rout
Kansas freshman Johnny Furphy has one thing on his mind before every game.
His defense.
You see, offense comes naturally to the guard from Melbourne, Australia, while his defense is still a work in progress.
According to his mother, Liza Alpers, Furphy thinks long and hard about KU’s defensive schemes before and during each game. Perhaps that thought is paying off, as Furphy delivered his best all-around game against the nation’s No. 4-ranked (and KenPom’s No. 1-ranked) team — in a 78-65 Kansas win over Houston.
The Jayhawks, ranked No. 8, were rare home underdogs at Allen Fieldhouse. But they didn’t look it, taking a 43-28 lead into halftime and never looking back.
Houston cut the KU lead to 10, 68-58, at one point in the second half. But KU responded with a 6-1 run to regain complete control of the game.
Hunter Dickinson scored 20 points, while Furphy and Kevin McCullar added 17 apiece. KU (18-4) improved to 6-3 in Big 12 play.
Fans at Allen Fieldhouse even chanted “overrated” at the Cougars and booed late timeouts by coach Kelvin Sampson with the game out of reach.
Up next: Kansas will travel to Manhattan on Monday to face Kansas State.
Until then, here are some takeaways from Saturday’s game...
KU’s offense dominates Houston’s defense
Heading into the game, UH ranked No. 1 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency (84.7), which measures points allowed per 100 possessions, adjusted for opponent.
Not adjusted for Kansas, apparently.
The Jayhawks did an incredible job moving the ball to find the right player in the first half, totaling 12 assists to Houston’s four. The Jayhawks passed up good shots for great ones and even hit open 3-pointers.
Another big advantage: KU’s points in the paint. The Jayhawks won that area by 18, 42-24.
Kansas shot a blistering 17-for-25 (68%) from the field, including 4-of-8 (50%) from deep, in the first half. The Jayhawks shot even better in the second half, going 14-for-20 (70%).
KU finished the game shooting 31-for-45 (68.9%) from the field. Houston last allowed 78-plus points in a regulation game in last year’s Sweet 16.
“We thought the best way to attack them was to use all 50 feet wide and 47 feet long and hopefully be able to play behind their aggressiveness,” said KU coach Bill Self. “To start the game, we did that perfectly. ... I don’t know if I’ve had a team execute better against a great defensive team offensively in that first 10 minutes. I mean, we were pretty much on point.”
Johnny Furphy’s impact felt on both ends.
Since his move to the starting lineup, Furphy continues to play well.
Better than that, in fact, and he did it on both ends on Saturday.
On the offensive end, he made the most of his touches. He had 14 points at halftime while shooting a perfect 5-for-5. The Australian guard is excellent at maximizing his touches on offense, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise he played well offensively.
It’s his defense that stood out vs. the Cougars.
On multiple possessions, the guard held his own against Houston. He didn’t get caught on pump fakes, stayed low and used his length to bother the shots, which led to several UH misses.
He dove on the floor early in the second half to secure a loose ball, which drew a sly smile from Self.
He finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, along with a team-leading plus-minus of plus-17. He also had two assists to no turnovers in 35 minutes.
“Can you believe how far Johnny’s come in the last month?” Self said on KU’s postgame radio show. “I mean, he’s one of the best players in our league.”
Kansas dominates the boards
Houston ranked No. 6 in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage (39.6) before Saturday’s game.
And rebounding has been an issue for KU basketball at times.
That wasn’t the case on Saturday.
The Jayhawks did an excellent job of boxing out against the physical Houston bigs. Kansas earned a 16-rebound advantage (40-24) and limited Houston to just eight second-chance points.
One of the most impressive rebounds came late in the second half when KU’s Dajuan Harris chased down a ball that went toward half court. It was an important rebound at a pivotal time as KU kept control of the game
It was one of KU’s best efforts on the boards all season.
This story was originally published February 3, 2024 at 5:29 PM.
