Hunter Dickinson carries KU basketball to road win at Colorado. Here are 3 takeaways
Hunter Dickinson was determined to make sure his Kansas Jayhawks walked out of CU Events Center with a victory Monday.
Whenever KU found itself in trouble against Colorado, Dickinson answered with a timely bucket. He scored five of the Jayhawks’ last seven points and erupted for 32 overall in one of the best offensive performances of his KU career.
More importantly, his play earned Kansas a win it desperately needed. The newly unranked Jayhawks defeated Colorado 71-64. KU has only three regular-season games left.
The Jayhawks (19-9, 10-7 Big 12) ended a four-game road losing streak thanks to Dickinson’s 32 points and 13 rebounds. That marked a KU career-high for Dickinson in scoring. KJ Adams added 15 points.
“It was a very good win against a tough opponent on the road,” Dickinson said postgame. “My teammates did a really good job of finding me close to the basket. I think I did a good job of staying close to the basket.”
It was certainly a night in which Kansas needed a spark.
Several Jayhawks struggled offensively, including transfer guards Zeke Mayo (1-for-5 shooting), Rylan Griffen (1-for-5) and AJ Storr (0-for-4). KU’s bench scored six points total, all from David Coit.
At times, Kansas looked to be in control. The Jayhawks led 37-32 at half, with Dickinson already at 15 points. But the second half was a back-and-forth affair, with Colorado briefly holding a one-point lead and tying the score at three other points.
The Jayhawks finally pulled away late. Kansas led 64-60 after a Dajuan Harris layup at the 3:18 mark. Colorado wouldn’t get any closer.
Up next: KU hosts Texas Tech at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday.
Until then, here are three takeaways from KU’s win late Monday night…
Hunter Dickinson dominated
It’s been some time since Dickinson has looked this good.
Dickinson took the Colorado bigs to school Monday. He scored 15 points on 6-for-8 field shooting from the field … in the first half.
He did a great job getting to his spots in the low post, even when UC defenders swarmed him in the paint.
He played with plenty of aggression, which he’s lacked in KU’s last few road games. Dickinson was a big reason why KU started the game with high energy, jumping in front by double-digits.
“He’s a beast,” Adams said in his postgame news conference. “He’s my All-American for the season. He played like it tonight.”
Dickinson continued his stellar play in the second half. It was perhaps the best performance he has had in a Jayhawks uniform.
Kansas needed it.
Jayhawks’ rebounding almost cost them
Before Monday, the Buffs ranked No. 223 in offensive rebounding percentage, meaning they weren’t getting many of their missed shots back.
You wouldn’t have known it by watching them play the Jayhawks.
“We got killed on the glass,” coach Bill Self said postgame, “and if it wasn’t for Hunter, it would’ve been worse.”
Colorado dominated KU on the glass with 10 offensive rebounds that turned into 12 second-chance points in the first half alone. KU had three offensive rebounds for zero second-chance points in that time.
Kansas was constantly out of position on rebounds and out-hustled in other instances. Dickinson was the only KU player with more than four rebounds for the game. Only one other teammate (Flory Bidunga) grabbed a single offensive rebound.
Colorado ended the night with a 13-rebound advantage (18-5) on the offensive glass. CU turned that into 16 second-chance points, to KU’s one.
The Buffaloes crushed Kansas in overall rebounds, 46-31. It could’ve cost the Jayhawks in a close game.
Is Kansas building some momentum for March?
Since Bill Self challenged the Jayhawks to start their season over at 0-0, Kansas has won two straight.
That’s especially notable because the Jayhawks hadn’t won back-to-back games in more than a month (Jan. 18-22) and were 6-6 in their last 12 games entering Monday.
While the opponents (Oklahoma State and Colorado) aren’t the best, winning these games is important as the Jayhawks finish the regular season against three ranked opponents.
Kansas plays No. 10 Texas Tech on Saturday and No. 4 Houston on the road Monday before finishing the season vs. No. 22 Arizona at Allen Fieldhouse on March 8.
If the Jayhawks can win two of their last three, they will enter the Big 12 Tournament having gone 4-1 down the stretch.
This story was originally published February 25, 2025 at 12:31 AM.
