Hawking Points: Kansas Drops Ball in Loss at UCF

The Jayhawks struggled mightily in the second half against the Knights.

The first trip to Orlando and UCF is one that the Kansas Jayhawks would probably like to forget. A huge first-half run was marred by an ugly start and horrific second half as UCF knocked off No. 3 KU 65-60.

Key Plays

UCF skyrocketed to an early 7-0 start and forced a Bill Self timeout before Kansas got on the scoreboard with a KJ Adams dunk on a pick and roll from Dajun Harris. Then a Hunter Dickinson hook shot and Johnny Furphy three tied the game at seven. On the next possession, Furphy stole the pass and threw down a huge dunk in transition to give KU its first lead. Kevin McCullar then drained a three to cap off a 12-0 run.

After another Furphy basket on a reverse layup, Parker Braun stepped into an open three at the end of the shot clock to go up 17-10. An Adams alley-oop from Harris and McCullar driving layup gave KU the biggest lead of the game at 21-12. Another massive Adams dunk pushed it to double digits and extended the KU run to 23-5.

UCF cut it to six before Adams again slammed home a dunk on a missed Nick Timberlake three. Dickinson got to work with four straight points to go up 31-19 and then a fast break McCullar to Elmarko Jackson to Timberlake gave KU the biggest lead of the game.

Dickinson picked up his second foul and the Knights kept things within arm’s reach with a 10-0 run in the final two minutes of the half as Kansas couldn’t stop turning it over. The lead got down to six before McCullar drained a jumper at the buzzer. Kansas went into the half up 37-29.

UCF started the second half with the first three points before Harris stopped the bleeding with a floater. Dickinson picked up his third foul and had to come out after 2:30 minutes in favor of Johnny Furphy. The Knights went zone to open the half and Kansas was called for three early fouls and the lead dwindled to three. McCullar knocked down a free throw but still, UCF went on a 17-5 run from the end of the first half through the first four minutes of the second half.

Then Jaylin Sellers knocked down his fourth three of the night and it was a one-point game. McCullar immediately answered with a three of his own. More free throws for UCF tied the game at 43 with 14:04 to play. Timberlake went back door and drew a third foul on Diallo to get him out of the game and hit one free throw. Harris landed hard on a drive that was missed and had to come out of the game and Sellers gave UCF the lead on the next possession.

Another turnover by McCullar – his fifth – and a three by the Knights put them up 48-44. Adams threw the ball into the stands on the next possession for the 14th of the night. Then the 15th turnover led to a UCF dunk and a six-point lead. Kansas went five minutes without a field goal until Adams made a jumper. Dickinson hit a jumper and McCullar sank two free throws to cut the deficit to one, 52-51. Then a steal and Furphy layup gave Kansas the lead. UCF answered with a three and then another easy dunk.

Down four with four minutes to go, McCullar hit a big corner three and Harris drew a loose-ball foul and connected with one of two free throws to tie the game. Diallo gave UCF the lead again and Dickinson missed on the other end.

Kansas trailed by four with a minute left in the game and Adams was blocked at the rim. Sellers scored on the other end to put them up six. Dickinson hit a corner three with 16 seconds left to keep Kansas’ hopes alive but it wasn’t enough.

Eye-Catching Stat Lines

Kansas turned the ball over 18 times and sent UCF to the line 18 times. Meanwhile, Kansas only made 6-11 from the line.

Kansas shot 51% from the field but most of that was thanks to the run in the first half, as KU scored just 23 points in the second half. McCullar led the way with 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists, but he also led the team with five turnovers. Dickinson finished with 12 points and four rebounds while battling foul trouble all game. Adams had 10 points and seven rebounds while Harris finished with five points and eight assists.

Ironically, Kansas fans have been clamoring for better bench production and it delivered in this one. Furphy scored nine, Timberlake five, and Braun three off the bench.

Areas of Improvement

UCF came out and immediately crashed the offensive glass and made Kansas look lackadaisical. There was no energy or effort from Kansas to start. It didn't last long, but the turnovers and unforced mistakes continued throughout the game.

As frustrated as fans may have been at the start of the game, it couldn’t compare to how brutal the second half was to watch. UCF’s zone completely demoralized the Kansas offense, KU players lost the ball every chance they got, and the Knights dominated the paint.

Takeaways

Let’s hope this is a wake-up call for the Jayhawks. UCF looked like the more athletic team and the team that wanted it more for the entirety of the second half. No road game is easy in the Big 12, but you can’t drop more of these against teams that aren’t going to finish in the top half of the conference.