Kevin McCullar scored 22 points as No. 1 Kansas manhandled North Carolina Central, building a lead as high as 55 points, in a 99-56 win in the season opener for both teams.
The Jayhawks shot a blistering 69.6 percent (39-of-56) from the field but scored just two points in the final 3:39 to fall one shy of 100.
Hunter Dickinson added 21 points, including 17 in the first half, in his Kansas debut after transferring from Michigan. Dickinson, easily the biggest player on the court at 7-foot-2, looked just as comfortable beyond the arc as he was down low. He hit 3-of-3 from 3-point range besides hitting 4-of-5 inside the arc. He also added eight rebounds and five assists.
Nicolas Timberlake scored 13 points, KJ Adams Jr. netted 12 and Parker Braun chipped in 10. Starting point guard Dajuan Harris did not attempt a shot, other than a half-court heave just before halftime, but he had 10 assists and four rebounds. Kansas finished with 34 assists.
Ja’Darius Harris led NC Central with 12 points, Josh Smith added 11 and Po’Boigh King 10. Leading returning scorer Fred Cleveland Jr. was held to 6 points on 2-of-12 shooting from the field. He missed all seven of his attempts from behind the arc.
Dickinson scored the game’s first seven points and the Jayhawks never relinquished the lead. By the first media timeout, Kansas led 17-7 and Dickinson had 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
The Jayhawks were 9-of-12 from 3-point range in the first half. They shot 22-of-28 (78.6 percent) from the field in the half. McCullar added 15 and Timberlake 10.
NC Central had no one in double figures in the half. Emmanuel Izunabor led the Eagles with six points, and King and Harris with 5 each. They shot just 23.3 percent (7-of-30), including 2-of-12 from 3-point range.
The Jayhawks’ largest lead in the first half was 42 at 57-15 and they led 59-18 at intermission.
–Field Level Media