A fast-paced second half from No. 5 Kansas led to an 89-64 victory over Omaha in Monday night’s 2022-23 regular-season opener at Allen Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) finished the night shooting 52% (36-69) behind a game-high scoring performance by true freshman guard Gradey Dick with 23 points, including four 3s on the night. Five KU players finished in double-digits – Dick (23), Jalen Wilson (19), Bobby Pettiford (13), Dajuan Harris (11), and Kevin McCullar (10).

Kansas outscored Omaha 16-8 off the glass, outrebounding the Mavericks 43-28.

Kansas starting five:

G Dajuan Harris

G Gradey Dick

F Jalen Wilson

G Kevin McCullar Jr.

F KJ Adams Jr.

First Half:

Under 16 timeout

Winning the tipoff, Kansas spoke first on a steal-and-score layup by Kevin McCullar. Omaha played right with the KU tempo out of the gate, staying within a basket through nearly five minutes of play. Kansas forward Jalen Wilson scored six of Kansas’ nine points tallied by the first-floor timeout, handing the Jayhawks a 9-7 lead after hitting a three from the corner.

Kansas 9, Omaha 7

Under 12 timeout

A pair of 8-0 run(s) from the Jayhawks made for a 23-12 KU lead over the Mavericks at the second-floor timeout. Kansas guard Gradey Dick logged his first three-pointer of the regular season, along with a pair of two-point baskets from KJ Adams Jr. and Ernest Udeh Jr.

Kansas 23, Omaha 12

Under 8 timeout

Omaha became very quiet, scoring once over three minutes on a dunk by forward Luke Jungers, who’d drill two free throws to bring the Mavericks within nine points by the 8:11 mark.

Dick hit his second three-point basket shortly before Omaha called a timeout with 7:10 left in the first half. All three – Dick, Wilson, and Dajuan Harris – logged six or more points on the night by this point in the game.

Kansas 32, Omaha 16

Under 4 timeout

A three-pointer by Omaha guard Jaeden Marshall was a sign of life for the ONU offense, which pulled itself within 11 points of Kansas after a 10-7 run heading into the under-4 timeout. The Jayhawks got another three from Wilson after a 3-0 Omaha run, adding a quick layup at the 3:40 mark.

Kansas 39, Omaha 26

Halftime:

Kansas walked into the locker room shooting 45% (18 of 40) from the field and 35% (6 of 17) from the perimeter. Wilson led the KU scoring in the first half with 15 points, hitting three 3s along the way. Dick also logged a double-digit first half, adding three 3s of his own and matched a team-high four assists with Harris. The Jayhawks kept a high tempo through the first 20 minutes, scoring 16 points in transition.

Omaha finished the first half shooting 37% (11 of 30) from the field and 20% (2 of 10) from the perimeter. Jungers and guard Marquel Sutton led the Mavericks scoring seven points each. Forward Frankie Fidler dropped six points in the first half, including a team-high three 3s. Omaha finished the first half near-perfect from the free-throw line (9 of 10).

Kansas 46, Omaha 33

Second Half:

Under 16 timeout

Omaha returned to the floor with urgency, cutting its deficit down to seven points after opening the second half with a 10-4 run. A fast-break 3 from Jungers forced a Kansas timeout early after the Jayhawks scored six combined between McCullar and Adams through the first four minutes back onto the floor.

Kansas 50, Omaha 43

Under 12 timeout

Kansas regained the momentum of the game over a 10-0 stretch led by three scores in transition by Dick and McCullar. Udeh and Wilson each added a jumper during the KU surge, with Wilson adding another quick two-pointer before the 11:56 timeout.

Kansas 62, Omaha 47

Under 8 timeout

A 4-0 spurt for Omaha made its deficit 13 points with 10:38 to go, but Kansas didn’t lift its foot off the gas. Dick surpassed the 20-point mark during a 13-0 run by the Jayhawks that featured three 3s between Dick, Harris, and guard Bobby Pettiford.

The run, which placed three Jayhawks – Dick, Wilson, and Pettiford – into the double-digit scoring column, helped Kansas mount a 26-point lead over the Mavericks at the 5:52 mark.

Kansas 81, Omaha 55

Under 4 timeout

Omaha, trailing by 26, sunk a pair of jumpers moments back onto the floor. Dick added another two-pointer to his game-high scoring performance.

Kansas 85, Omaha 57

End of regulation

Zuby Ejiofor, Zach Clemence, Michael Jankovich, and Kyle Cuffe each logged late minutes for the Jayhawks, helping round out the 89-64 win over Omaha to kick off the season. The final minutes featured a long two-pointer from Jankovich.

Kansas 89, Omaha 64

We will have much more to come in our postgame coverage.