KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson scored 23 points with 13 rebounds, Zeke Mayo added 24 points, and the sixth-seeded Kansas team made a comeback to push the game into overtime. They then managed to hold off the No. 14 seed UCF with a final score of 98-94 during the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday night.
Before fouling out in the final moments of overtime, AJ Storr recorded a season-best 19 points, while KJ Adams contributed with 15 points and seven rebounds for the Jayhawks (21-11). The team barely escaped losing their Big 12 tournament opening game for the consecutive year.
Rather, they will encounter the third-seeded Arizona team on Thursday evening in a return match of the game Kansas won the previous week.
Jordan Ivy-Curry brought UCF to within 94-93 after converting a three-point play with 18.2 seconds left on the clock, and Mayo failed to make the second shot out of two free throw attempts at the opposite end. However, UCF’s center Moustapha Thiam couldn’t equalize as his jump shot fell short, giving Kansas possession once more; subsequently, Dickinson secured the win by making one of two free throws with only 2.4 seconds remaining.
Deebo Coleman of The Knights was promptly fouled. With 0.9 seconds remaining, he successfully executed the first free throw to bring the score to 96-94. However, during his attempt to deliberately miss the second shot for an opportunity at another play, Coleman missed the rim entirely, allowing the Jayhawks to gain possession.
David Coit was fouled and contributed two additional free throws to seal the victory.
Keyshawn Hall topped UCF’s scoring with 25 points, while Darius Johnson contributed 22 before being disqualified due to fouls with only one minute remaining in the game.
The Jayhawks lost their 13-point advantage in the second half after UCF took the lead with seven minutes remaining. Both teams exchanged baskets until Ivy-Curry’s three-pointer equalized the score at 83-83 with just 14.1 seconds left in regulation time.
Kansas attempted to orchestrate a successful play, however, Adams violated the rules by stepping on the sideline during his dribble, resulting in a turnover for the Knights. Ivy-Curry swiftly moved downcourt and managed to get a reasonable attempt from the perimeter, yet his three-point shot fell short just before the clock ran out.
Takeaways
UCF has come a considerable distance since January when they suffered a defeat with a score of 99-48 against the Jayhawks at their own venue. They have managed to win four out of their last six matches.
Kansas has opted for a shorter rotation as the season comes to an end, and this appears to be benefiting the Jayhawks.
Key moment
Thiam missed a shot from around six feet away from the baseline with just a few seconds remaining in overtime, which would have equalized the score.
Key stats
In the match, three players were disqualified due to fouling out. Additionally, Kansas guard Dajuan Harris ended up with five fouls.
Up next
The Jayhawks will face off against Arizona on Thursday evening. Last Saturday, they defeated the Wildcats with a score of 83-76.
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