The Kansas Jayhawks played their third game in three days on Wednesday, as they faced Dayton in the championship game of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. Bill Self’s squad needed extra time to finish the job, but KU did just that, downing the Flyers 90-84.
“That was a great basketball game,” Self said of the action in the Lahaina Civic Center. “Two good teams competing against each other, and in a terrific atmosphere. Proud to be a part of it, and certainly very fortunate that we came out on top. But that was a lot of fun, and it was probably the least control I can remember having from the sideline because it's so loud.”
“Our place isn't any louder than that, because you have space in our place,” he said, referring to Allen Fieldhouse. “There's no space in this one. And so I thought our guys competed and of course, these two were absolutely terrific.”
Self was referring to Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike. Dotson led the way for the Jayhawks, scoring 31 points to go with 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals, all while playing a full 45-minutes.
“At that point you just got to tough it out,” Dotson said of beating the Flyers defense to the rim in overtime. “I think I could have played a little bit longer. But with that much intensity, and that much adrenaline going, you don't really feel tired. Your whole focus is to try to win that game.”
Azubuike was a force throughout the contest for the Jayhawks. He scored 29 points on 12-of-15 shooting, and was 5-of-8 from the free throw line. The 7-footer seemed to play even better in the extra frame, scoring KU’s first 9 points of overtime.
“He gets more touches when we play four guards around him,” Self said of the senior center. “As opposed to another big, just because the floor's spaced a little bit. But he's a, he wouldn't be here if he hadn't been hurt two of the last three years and only play -- he's only played a year and a half going into this year and he's a senior. So he hasn't caught many breaks health-wise. But he has developed and he's worked really hard on his touch and his free throws, and even the ones he missed actually looked good tonight.”
In addition to his offensive output, Azubuike limited Dayton standout Obi Toppin to just 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting. The Kansas big man did more than hold his own in matching up with the future pro.
“Obi is a great player,” Azubuike said of the Flyers forward. “He was really good down the stretch for their team. It was a battle between me and him. I mean, he was really good. I mean, they tried to play inside out with him. And then when he got the ball, he tried to make plays for his teammates. And also my teammates trusted me enough to give me the ball, and I did the same.”
Kansas won the Maui Invitational for the third time, having done so last in 2015. The Jayhawks NCAA tournament run ended that year in the Elite Eight. Asked what winning the early-season event means for his squad moving forward, Self was unsure.
“I don't know if it helped us a ton last time, because we lost it in '11 and went to the National Championship game here. So, but I think what the tournament does more than anything it exposes your weaknesses and allows you to prepare and get better for really big boy games. Because we that was a big boy game.”
“I'm not sure the win will have a ton to do with what we do going forward,” he continued. “It's still November, and I would like to think that that automatically puts us in a very good or favorable position. But if you don't play well against Colorado, who is a Top-20 team, next Saturday, then this probably didn't mean as much. So hopefully it's just a springboard for enthusiasm and energy to excite our guys that we got a chance to be good if we just continue to get better.”
