No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks beat 9th-ranked UNC Tar Heels: Takeaways from Friday’s thriller
The ball hung on the rim for what felt like forever.
Finally, guard Zeke Mayo’s layup dropped through the net, tying the game at 89-all.
That’s how it went Friday night. Whenever the No. 1-ranked Kansas Jayhawks needed a bucket in their men’s basketball showdown against the No. 9-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, the Lawrence native delivered.
And no moment was too big for the South Dakota State transfer as KU defeated UNC 92-89 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Mayo finished with a game-high 21 points off the bench, while teammate Hunter Dickinson scored 20 and grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double.
UNC had a chance to hit a game-tying shot with 10 seconds left, but guard Elliot Cadeau missed a 3-pointer.
KU’s win came with a major historical milestone: coach Bill Self tied the legendary Phog Allen with 590 victories in his career — most all-time for the storied Jayhawks program.
But Friday night’s outcome was uncertain late.
Dickinson hit an inside bucket to put the Jayhawks up 91-89 with 1:07 left in the game. On the next possession, UNC’s Jalen Washington missed a 3-pointer with 38 seconds to go.
Then Dickinson was fouled and hit one of two free throws with 11 seconds remaining for the final score.
At one point, the Tar Heels had trailed by 20 points. But they came roaring back, outscoring Kansas 51-39 in the second half. KU led 53-38 at halftime.
The win is Kansas’ fifth straight against UNC, pushing the series’ all-time ledger to 7-6 in the Jayhawks’ favor.
Up next: The Jayhawks will travel to Atlanta to play Michigan State in the Champions Classic on Tuesday.
Until then, here are three takeaways from Friday night’s game at Allen Fieldhouse:
KU bench does its part
Self had one goal this offseason: “I told my staff, we’ve got to get guys that are good enough — eight starters that can play meaningful starter minutes at Kansas if something happens.”
So far, so good.
KU’s starting lineup for Friday’s game consisted of Dajuan Harris, David Coit, KJ Adams, Dickinson and Rylan Griffen.
KU’s bench, meanwhile — which scorched Howard for 45 points in the season opener — continued its excellent play against UNC.
The Jayhawks’ reserves had 24 points ... by halftime. Last season, Kansas averaged 11.8 bench points.
The difference so far in 2024-25? Guards Mayo and AJ Storr and and freshman big man Flory Bidunga.
That trio accounted for all of KU’s bench points in the first half.
Mayo’s shooting ability allows him to play with any player, while Bidunga has the makings of KU’s next star big. And Storr averaged 16.8 points per game for Wisconsin last season.
Talk about a lethal trio.
The Jayhawks finished with 42 bench points against the Heels.
KU’s offense red-hot early
Kansas sure can score in a lot of different ways.
KU shot a blistering 55.6% from the field in the first half Friday. The home squad did an excellent job of getting quality looks inside — the Jayhawks had 30 points in the paint.
UNC’s bigs struggled to defend Adams and Dickinson, who combined for 21 points in the first half. The Jayhawks were also active rebounders, leading to 10 second-chance points.
KU’s shooting cooled a bit in the second half. Kansas finished the night 37-for-76 (48.7%), including 6-for-21 (28.6%) on 3-pointers.
The Jayhawks scored 16 points of turnovers.
KU, Dickinson struggle defensively
Dickinson is KU’s best player by far. That’s primarily because of his offense, but his defense is usually pretty solid, too.
That wasn’t the case during Friday night’s second half.
North Carolina made a point of picking on Dickinson as the Tar Heels chipped away at KU’s lead. Dickinson allowed pivotal back-to-back buckets as UNC surged ahead.
First, he momentarily lost his man and Jae’lyn Withers canned a 3-pointer. Then Dickinson over-helped on the Heels’ next possession, leading to an easy drive for Withers.
KU struggled a bit defensively. UNC turned fouls into points, shooting 28-for-31 (90.3%) from the free-throw line. UNC also shot 50% from the field in the second half.
This story was originally published November 8, 2024 at 8:34 PM.
