KANSAS

Live Updates: No. 1 Kansas Holds Off North Carolina's Surge in Wild 92-89 Finish

On Friday night, the top ranked Jayhawks took down the Tar Heels at home.

Mathey Gibson

Nov 8, 2024; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) and North Carolina Tar Heels forward Ven-Allen Lubin (22) fight for a rebound during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Nov 8, 2024; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) and North Carolina Tar Heels forward Ven-Allen Lubin (22) fight for a rebound during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
In this story:

Two of college basketball’s most iconic programs are set for a Friday night showdown at Allen Fieldhouse, where the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks will face off against the No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels.

Both teams enter this matchup with season-opening wins, reigniting their storied rivalry in a rematch of the 2022 NCAA championship game, which ended with Kansas lifting the title.

The Jayhawks (1-0) kicked off their season with a victory over Howard at home, while the Tar Heels (1-0) opened with a win over Elon. Now, both teams are gearing up for their first major challenge in what promises to be a thrilling clash on one of college basketball’s most revered stages.

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How It Happened...

FINAL: Kansas 92, North Carolina 89

Kansas Jayhawks
Stats courtesy of Statbroadcast.com / Statbroadcast

Second Half:

  • 1:07, 2H: Zeke Mayo refuses to let the Jayhawks go down. He drills two free throws, and then hits a nice jumper to tie things up. After a missed three by the Tar Heels, Hunter Dickinson lays one in and the crowd explodes. Timeout North Carolina. Kansas 91, UNC 89.
  • 3:28, 2H: Media timeout on the floor. Personal foul on Hunter Dickinson, his fourth of the game. Tar Heels shooting two when we return. North Carolina 86, Kansas 83.
  • 5:04, 2H: North Carolina has their first lead of the game. Allen Fieldhouse is stunned. Bill Self takes a timeout as the Jayhawks are 1-for-9 from the field over the last four minutes. North Carolina 84, Kansas 81.
  • 6:06, 2H: And just like that, Kansas lead is down to a singular point at Allen Fieldhouse. Seth Trimble has been the guding force for the Tar Heels so far in the second half, he's got 12 points on 3-for-5 shooting. Jayhawks are 1-for-7 from the field over their last eight attempts. North Carolina is also in the double-bonus. Kansas 81, North Carolina 80.
  • 8:36, 2H: 9-0 run for the Tar Heels. Jayhawks have gone cold here in the second half, and North Carolina is on fire. The Jayhawks now lead by two, and the Tar Heels have erased a once 20-point deficit. Bill Self is fuming on the sidelines. Kansas 77, UNC 75.
  • 11:46, 2H: Zeke Mayo is off to a flying start here in the second half, as he's up to 17 points and is 3-for-3 from the field over teh last eight minutes. Hunter Dickinson is starting to enforce his will as this game chugs along, too. He's up to 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting, but has grabbed eight rebounds with two assists. Jayhawks lead by nine as North Carolina continues their climb back. Kansas 72, UNC 63.
  • 15:37, 2H: We're underway at Allen Fieldhouse once more for the second half. Immediately, Hunter Dickinson gets the Jayhawks on the board with a jumper and tip-in. Unfortunately for them, the Tar Heels have come out firing, as they're on a 10-4 run to start eh half and have cut the lead to nine. Kansas 57, North Carolina 48.

HALFTIME: Kansas 53, North Carolina 38

Kansas Jayhawks
Halftime stats courtesy of Statbroadcast.com / StatBroadcast

First Half:

  • 1:29, 1H: Kansas has blasted the lead open to 20 points at Allen Fieldhouse. Tar Heels have been in foul trouble so far, as they've racked up 10 already. The Jayhawks look excellent, and the crowd has played a massive factor. So far, this has been everything Bill Self's team wanted heading into the game. Kansas 50, UNC 30.
  • 3:55, 1H: K.J. Adams continues to dominate here, he's up to 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting. Tar Heels haven't had much of an answer for any Jayhawks offensive threat so far, as five players have 6+ points on the night. 18 bench points for Bill Self's squad. They lead by 15 as we inch closer to halftime. Kansas 43, UNC 29.
  • 9:23, 1H: Another media timeout just hit. Another big run for the Jayhawks, as they're on a 6-0 spurt over the last 40 seconds as Zeke Mayo just hit back-to-back threes. Only one turnover so far for Kansas, too. They lead by 11. Kansas 33, UNC 22.
  • 11:00, 1H: We've hit the second media timeout of the game. K.J. Adams has exploded here in the last couple of minutes, as he's up to 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting. Kansas has once again become hot, making their last five shot attempts. Kansas 27, UNC 20.
  • 14:33, 1H: Kansas is on an 12-0 run, and they've made all four of their last shot attempts. Rylan Griffen leads all scorers with 6 points on 2-for-2 shooting from deep. Kansas 17, UNC 12.

Pregame:

  • Tipoff is slated for 6:00 p.m. CT.

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Mathey Gibson
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