Hunter Dickinson had 20 points to lift No. 9 Kansas to a resounding 86-67 victory over visiting Texas on Saturday.
The Jayhawks (21-6, 9-5 Big 12) once again had to play without their leading scorer Kevin McCullar, who missed his fourth game in the last seven with a balky knee. He played in the Jayhawks’ 67-57 victory at Oklahoma last Saturday, but he was out against the Longhorns.
In his absence, Nicolas Timberlake tied his season high with 13 points. He was one of five Jayhawks who scored in double figures. The Jayhawks got 16 points each from Johnny Furphy and KJ Adams Jr., and 14 from Dajuan Harris Jr.
Texas (17-10, 6-8) was led by Dillon Mitchell and Tyrese Hunter, who each scored 12 points. Ithiel Horton added 10 points.
Kansas struggled to find a rhythm at the start of the second half, committing six turnovers before the first media timeout. But the Longhorns didn’t capitalize, cutting their 20-point halftime deficit down to 16 during that span.
Texas cut the deficit to 13, but Kansas woke up and regained its 20-point lead with 11:04 left in the second half. Texas never got closer than 15 the rest of the way.
After struggling early in the first half, Kansas went on a 28-11 run that opened a 40-21 lead with 3:05 left in the half. The Jayhawks entered halftime with a 45-25 lead.
Kansas had balanced scoring in the first half. Dickinson had 11 points, Adams scored 10, Timberlake had eight and Furphy and Harris had six each.
Texas was led by Mitchell, who had eight points at the break. The Longhorns were held to 26.5 percent shooting from the floor in the first half (9-of-34).
Kansas was intent on pounding the ball inside, finishing the game with a 30-10 advantage in points in the paint.
Texas had won the last two matchups last season against Kansas, winning 75-59 on March 4 at home and and 76-56 in the Big 12 Championship in Kansas City.
–Field Level Media