Hunter Dickinson hit a short follow shot with 3.4 seconds left to lift No. 2 Kansas past TCU 83-81 Saturday afternoon in Lawrence, Kan.
Kansas was looking to avenge last season’s 83-60 loss to TCU, which snapped a 16-game home winning streak for the Jayhawks and was the second-worst home loss in head coach Bill Self’s career at Kansas. It was the highest-ranked road win in TCU history. But it wasn’t easy.
Kansas has won 33 straight conference openers, dating back to 1991 when the Jayhawks lost to Oklahoma.
Kansas (13-1, 1-0 Big 12) was led by Dickinson with 30 points and 11 rebounds. KJ Adams added 18 points and 10 rebounds, Kevin McCullar had 16 points and Dajuan Harris had 10 points and eight assists.
TCU (11-3, 0-1) was led by Trevian Henderson with 24 points. He was joined in double figures by Emanuel Miller with 20, and Micah Peavy and Jameer Nelson Jr. with 10 each.
The second half was as tight as the first.
Kansas got its first field goal from anyone other than Dickinson, McCullar or Adams when Harris hit a layup with 16:06 left in the second half.
Neither team could seize control in the second half. TCU held the largest lead by either team at 65-60, but a 10-2 run gave Kansas the lead again.
Peavy tied it with a traditional 3-point play at the 5:12 mark. Harris tied it again at 75-all with a pair of free throws with 2:38 left and Adams did it again with 2:07 left.
Nelson’s short jumper gave TCU a 79-77 lead with 1:38 left.
A flagrant foul on Ernest Udeh put Dickinson on the line and he tied it with a pair of free throws with 57 seconds remaining. Harris then hit a fadeaway jumper to give Kansas the lead. Peavy’s follow tied it with 26 seconds left, setting up Dickinson for the game-winner.
TCU stayed close through the first half. Each time the Jayhawks opened a two-possession lead, the Frogs would respond. KU’s largest lead of the half was 6 points at 30-24. When Xavier Cork got inside the Kansas defense for a dunk with 1:54 left, the Horned Frogs led 38-37.
Kansas took a 41-40 lead into the locker room.
The Jayhawks leaned heavily on their three leading scorers with all three reaching double figures before intermission. Dickinson led the way with 18 points. Adams added 12 and McCullar had 10. Kansas got only one point — a free throw by Johnny Furphy — from the rest of the team.
TCU was led by Emanuel Miller with 15 points. Three other players scored at least five points.
–Field Level Media