Takeaways From Kansas' 82-75 Charity Exhibition Loss to Illinois

The Jayhawks traveled to Champagne Sunday to raise money for Maui relief and test itself against a fellow top-25 team.

College basketball is here, as Kansas fans got to follow up the football win over No. 6 Oklahoma on Saturday with a charity exhibition game by the basketball team. The hoops squad didn’t quite have the same luck as the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks fell to No. 25 Illinois 82-75 in Champagne, Illinois.

Let’s take a look at the biggest takeaways from this scrimmage, which has to start here…

The Game Doesn’t Count. Don’t Draw Major Conclusions.

It’s important to remember not to take too much away from these games. It’s not even November and the game didn’t count. Do you remember any of the results of the secret scrimmages or exhibition games in previous years for any team not named Kansas – or even the Jayhawks’ results, for that matter? No. This means very little.

Elmarko Jackson Gets the Start

The freshman guard was thought to be behind Nick Timberlake and Arterio Morris all summer. Then Morris was dismissed from the program and Jackson found a spot in the starting lineup Sunday.

The freshman looked the part. Jackson went coast to coast in transition for the Jayhawks’ first points of the game. He also showed he can get to the basket at will, driving through the lane and laying it up at the end of the first half. Though there were several plays on defense from Jackson that Self will undoubtedly use as teaching tools.

KU Was Best When Playing Fast

The half-court offense was not overly efficient in the first half. Instead, it was when Kansas got out and ran that the offense was at its best. Harris is one of the best transition passers in the game and multiple players are able to take the ball up the floor, including KJ Adams. KU was aggressive at the rim, either finishing or drawing fouls.

McCullar Looked Loose, Dickinson Did Not

Kevin McCullar was the offensive firepower for most of the game. A couple layups and an early three gave McCullar seven of KU’s first 11 points. He got into double figures soon after and had 21 early in the second half at the under-16 timeout before finishing with a team-high 25. McCullar scored in a number of ways, driving to the hoop, hitting two of three from deep (the only Jayhawk to hit more than one) and making 5-9 from the line.

Meanwhile, the Illinois student section was more than happy booing Hunter Dickinson early and often and Dickinson looked to be in his own head, missing a few easy shots and getting called for a travel in the first four minutes. At halftime, Dickinson was just 3-8 from the field for eight points. He is talented enough that he still had 14 points and five rebounds midway through the second half, and finished with 22 points and nine boards. Even when he’s not making shots, he cleans up his teammates' misses with easy tip-ins.

The Hawks Were Not at Full Strength

I’m sure fans were like me in hoping to get an early look at the newest freshman Johnny Furphy, but as it was reported before the game, he was out due to shin splints.

Johnny Furphy is here at Illinois for the #kubball exhibition game, but he's not dressed to play.

Bill Self has said Furphy is dealing with a severe case of shin splints.

— Jordan Guskey (@JordanGuskey) October 29, 2023

Who knows if his presence on the court would have changed the outcome, it’s more about getting him reps and confidence early as he continues to grow.

The Team Looks to Still Be Trying to Sync

Illinois looked more aligned offensively for the majority of the game, hitting open looks and passing more crisply. Kansas still seems to be a team looking to gel as a collective. KU either made too many passes or were too aggressive. The Jayhawks turned it over 13 times and just didn’t connect well, especially in the first half. The lobs and high-low passing improved as the game went on, but still has work to do.

This Could Be a Paint-Centered Team

Kansas didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard from deep. The Jayhawks were just 3-12 from three, while Illinois was red hot at 11-27. And Kansas wasn’t even looking to take them early. KU had just three attempts from beyond the arc in the first half before a half-court heave from McCullar as time expired.

There are two ways to look at it. Kansas’ offense was still good enough to keep it a game even with the Illini going nuts from beyond the arc and the Jayhawks not shooting well. But also it can put you at a disadvantage when you’re constantly trading twos for threes. Again, the offense on October 29 won’t be the same as in December or February, so it’s too early to react strongly, but it’s just something interesting to watch.