Kansas' performance against Oklahoma State on Saturday looked like the start of a "new season," dominating the Cowboys 96-64 in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks did a complete 180 after losing to BYU by 34 points on Tuesday, looking like a completely different team.
They made 14 threes for the game, the most Kansas has made in a game all season. The Jayhawks shot 46.7% from downtown, with four players hitting multiple threes. Kansas moved the ball well, assisting on 23 of 28 made shots.
Four Jayhawks scored in double figures, with Hunter Dickinson leading the way with 16 points and 11 rebounds. David Coit and Zeke Mayo each made five threes, while Dajuan Harris scored 14 points and tallied six steals.
Kansas dominated the glass, outrebounding the Cowboys 48-28. Flory Bidunga tallied 16 rebounds in 21 minutes.
First half
Kansas turned the ball over on the first two possessions of the game while both teams struggled to put together competent possessions. The Jayhawks and Cowboys combined for seven turnovers and only five made shots in the first four minutes. Kansas held an 8-4 lead thanks to two early buckets from Hunter Dickinson.
Both teams settled in from a shotmaking standpoint but turnovers remained a problem for Kansas. The Jayhawks took a 12-7 lead, but turnovers allowed a 5-0 run for the Cowboys including a shot clock-beating deep three from Bryce Thompson. Diggy Coit checked in and provided an instant impact, hitting threes on consecutive possessions. Kansas led 18-15 at the under-12 after Brandon Newman knocked down a three.
Coit and Dajuan Harris propelled the Jayhawks offense as Coit knocked down another three. Harris got to the line and hit a three of his own, with the Jayhawks starting to build a lead. Kansas went on a 7-2 run, leading 28-19 at the under-eight.
Kansas padded its lead following threes from Rylan Griffen and Zeke Mayo. The Jayhawks were getting their shooters open looks and forcing Oklahoma State to play half-court offense, where it struggled to score. KJ Adams threw down a dunk to put the lead at 15, 36-21.
The Jayhawks scored 11 unanswered points to make their lead 21. Adams threw down another dunk, and Dickinson made two baskets as Kansas took full control. Harris racked up the steals, and Oklahoma State went on a scoring drought of three minutes.
Thompson made two free throws followed by another 10-0 run from Kansas. Mayo hit back-to-back deep threes, and Dickinson jumped a passing lane that he finished on the other end with a transition dunk. Kansas took a 52-23 lead into halftime where seemingly everything went right for the Jayhawks.
Second half
The second half started essentially even with both teams trading short runs. Harris and Mayo hit threes on a 9-0 run for Kansas. Oklahoma State answered with five straight of its own, with Kansas leading 61-30 at the under-16 timeout.
Kansas responded to the Cowboys' run by continuing to be on fire from beyond the arc. Griffen hit a three and Coit knocked down another two triples as Kansas pushed its lead to 72-38.
The Jayhawks essentially traded baskets with the Cowboys, with AJ Storr getting in on the action with an and-one. Kansas still controlled a comfortable lead, 79-44 with 7:59 remaining.
The walk-ons got some action as Kansas cruised to a dominating win to kick off its "new season."
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