How Hunter Dickinson, Zeke Mayo led Kansas basketball to Senior Day win over Arizona
Zeke Mayo puffed out his chest as he proudly walked around holding up his crimson jersey.
Mayo had just hit his fifth 3-pointer of the afternoon to give Kansas a five-point lead over Arizona with about four minutes left.
As he walked around, the senior guard showcased the front of his jersey, with one word written in bold white letters: Kansas.
A few minutes later, senior forward KJ Adams secured the game with an alley-oop dunk that ensured Kansas walked out of Allen Fieldhouse victorious.
Kansas defeated No. 24 Arizona 83-76 on Senior Day at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks (20-11, 11-9 Big 12) have hit the 20-win mark for 35 of the last 36 seasons, dating back to 1989-90.
The game marks the end of the regular season for KU and extends KU’s home-finale winning streak to 42 games. Before the game, Kansas honored seven seniors for Senior Day.
Center Hunter Dickinson finished with a career-high-tying 33 points and 10 rebounds. Mayo added 20 points.
Kansas started the game strong, leading by as many as 14 in the first half and taking a 39-30 advantage into the break. Dickinson had 16 points at the time
The Wildcats would come roaring back in the second half, even taking the lead. Still, it wasn’t enough. Arizona’s last lead (68-66) came at the 6:02 mark. The Jayhawks closed with a 17-8 spurt the rest of the game.
Up next: KU plays in the Big 12 Tournament next week. The Jayhawks’ seed and opponent are yet to be determined.
Until then, here are three takeaways from KU’s win vs. Arizona...
Hunter Dickinson had a career game
Starting big men KJ Adams and Hunter Dickinson seemed to score at will against the Wildcats. The pair combined for 26 points in the first half alone.
Dickinson shot a blistering 8-for-9 from the field, while Adams shot 5-for-7 in that time.
The pair pressured Arizona’s defense by attacking inside. Adams hit a couple of his patented push shots when given space. He also had the alley-oop dunk to close things out.
Kansas scored 24 points in the paint in the first half, thanks primarily to the duo. Dickinson kept it going in the second half, finishing with 17 points in the final 20 minutes. Kansas scored 40 points in the paint for the game.
Adams finished the afternoon with 12 points. Dickinson erupted for a Kansas-career-best 33 points, which matched his high from his time at Michigan.
Zeke Mayo bounces back
Heading into Saturday, Jayhawks guard Zeke Mayo desperately needed a quality game. He hadn’t hit double-digit points in four games. Mayo averaged four turnovers per game during that span.
Well, he bounced back in a big way.
For the first time in a while, Mayo was in total control. He hit a barrage of 3-pointers that helped Kansas secure the victory.
He also did a great job taking care of the ball, finishing with no turnovers. Mayo had 20 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field and six assists. All five of his makes were from 3.
It’s this level of play the Jayhawks will need from Mayo in the Big 12 and NCAA Tournament moving forward.
The second half was a struggle
The Jayhawks’ defense looked stellar in the first half against Arizona. The Wildcats shot 40.7% from the field and a woeful 22.2% on 3-pointers.
By comparison, KU’s defense in the second half was atrocious.
Arizona — which entered Saturday shooting 31.6% on 3-pointers — shot a blistering 57.1% from deep. Kansas let Arizona’s shooters get space to get shots off, and a team ranked No. 289 in 3-point percentage made the Jayhawks pay.
As a team, the Wildcats shot 53.6% from the field in the period. They trailed by nine at the half but took the lead by the 13:25 mark.
In addition, Kansas struggled to defend the Wildcats without fouling. Kansas committed numerous shooting fouls, leading Arizona to shoot 12-for-14 from the line in the half.
It was one of the Jayhawks’ worst defensive halves of the season. Arizona finished the game shooting 47.3% from the field and 37.5% on 3-pointers.
