Kansas (8-2) bounced back after a two-game road skid with a comfortable 75-60 win over NC State in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks' offense was balanced and turned in a good performance from three, making 10 of 24 shots from downtown.
Zeke Mayo led the way with a season-high 26 points. Mayo hunted his shot the entire night, finishing 9/14 from the floor and 5/9 from three. He was also one of the only Jayhawks who attempted to get to the free throw line, shooting five from the stripe.
Hunter Dickinson added a 21-point, 14-rebound double-double. He also finished with seven assists and was a big part in the crisp ball movement throughout the game. Dajuan Harris scored 15 points and added six assists as well.
NC State held a strong discrepancy at the line. The Wolfpack shot 18 free throws compared to the Jayhawks' seven. Kansas had a lot of foul troubles in the frontcourt, but the offense was efficient enough to combat the disparity.
First half
Kansas got off to a hot start that started on the defensive end. The Jayhawks forced long possessions and pressured the ball well as NC State didn't score for nearly the first four minutes. Zeke Mayo and Hunter Dickinson knocked down threes, leading to a 10-0 blitzing in the early minutes.
The Jayhawks went on a stretch of eight straight made baskets, pushing their lead to 19-3. Mayo made another three and the bigs went to work down low before Kansas got a little too comfortable and went on a 2:37 scoring drought.
Dontrez Styles and Breon Pass made threes as the Wolfpack tried to cut into the deficit. Kansas played a bit out of control but led 19-8 at the under-12 timeout.
Dajuan Harris quieted a 9-0 run from NC State by knocking down a three. The Jayhawks were looking for their shot from three and knocking it down, as David Coit and Harris each hit shots from outside.
NC State hung around as Kansas got into foul trouble down low. Dickinson, Flory Bidunga, and Zach Clemence all picked up two fouls during the first half. The Wolfpack were getting to the line while Kansas was not, but the Jayhawks led 32-23 at the under-four timeout.
Mayo propelled the Kansas offense throughout the first half, hitting a late three and converting an and-one as the Jayhawks took a 38-30 lead into halftime. Kansas effectively split its shots between two and three and shot 54% from the floor. Ben Middlebrooks went to work against Kansas' foul-ridden frontcourt and was able to make a first-half impact with seven points and five rebounds.
Second half
Kevin Keatts called an early timeout after Kansas scored the first three points of the half. The Jayhawks did a good job of getting downhill, either getting fouled or finishing at the rim. NC State started the second half 0/4 from the floor.
Kansas' offense flowed great, moving the ball well to lead to a three for Harris and a lob for KJ Adams. The Jayhawks extended their lead to 48-35 before Dickinson picked up a flagrant foul going into the under-16 timeout.
NC State cut into the lead as Kansas couldn't stop fouling. The Wolfpack got four straight points at the line as part of a 6-0 spurt that left them down seven, 48-41.
Mayo gave the Jayhawks some energy as he answered NC State's run with a 6-0 run by himself. The Lawrence native knocked down a three and got a bucket in transition to reenergize the crowd and push Kansas' lead back to double-digits.
Mayo scored five more as Kansas took control in the middle stages of the second half. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield went to work down low, but Kansas' offense was crisp enough to keep the Wolfpack at bay. The Jayhawks led 65-51 at the under-eight timeout.
Dickinson went on a solo 6-0 run to put the game to bed heading into the under-four. Kansas did a good job of getting him the ball in favorable positions as the lead grew to 17, 71-54.
Mayo and Harris got to the rim for buckets as the Jayhawks closed out a comfortable win over a power conference opponent.
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