Kansas basketball’s ability to pick up another elusive road win positions Jayhawks well
NORMAN, Oklahoma — Kansas basketball coach Bill Self is identifying the key stretch of the game Saturday, and as he’s doing so postgame it’s hard to argue any different.
Yes, the back-to-back 3-pointers the Jayhawks hit to go from down 46-43 in the second half to up 49-46 were significant. Those 3s allowed them to take the lead for the first time since early in the first half, and they never gave it up since they got it back. But Self is actually talking about the 6-0 run at the end of the first half, a run that cut their deficit from 11 to five going into halftime.
Because No. 7 Kansas’ ability to garner some momentum on the road at Oklahoma, which is tied for No. 21 in the nation, put Self and company in position to put together their second-half comeback. Instead of heading toward a second-straight blowout loss away from home, the Jayhawks turned the game around in front of a hostile environment. They went on to win 67-57, capturing their second road win in Big 12 Conference play.
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“We were obviously aware of it, because I mean, not even through like social media and everything else, but just like amongst the teammates and everything knowing that we haven’t won on the road since Oklahoma State and that was our only win on the road in the Big 12,” senior center Hunter Dickinson said. “So, it was just good for us to come out here. And Oklahoma’s a really good team, they’re a top 25 team, and so I think that looks really good on our resume — especially as we try and fight for a No. 1 seed here.”
As Self watched the game unfold, he thought he was looking at two tired teams for the majority of it. He at least knew Kansas (20-6, 8-5 in Big 12) was. From an efficiency standpoint, the Jayhawks were the better team in the second half than Oklahoma (18-8, 6-7 in Big 12) was in the first.
Kansas didn’t overwhelm the Sooners in the second half with a barrage of 3s or egregious advantage at the free-throw line. The Jayhawks were sound defensively, to the point Oklahoma finished with four made shots from the field after halftime. The Jayhawks were able to hit enough shots from the field in the second half, and actually get to the free-throw line to help supplement that.
Kansas’ next two Big 12 road games, and final two at that, at first glance look even tougher than this one against the Sooners did. The Jayhawks have to go to No. 13 Baylor and to No. 3 Houston, two teams they beat in Lawrence already this season but won’t have the advantage of a home crowd against the second time around in March. But they’ll have some more momentum now that they didn’t have previously, and some more time to rest as well.
“The biggest thing is we’ve got to focus on getting them rested and then holding serve at home,” Self said. “And then, I’ve got a feeling when we go on the road the last two games that we’ll be a turned up team. So — especially with who we’re playing. So, yeah, it was good that we got one today. They’ve been really hard to come by for us in league play.”
The next game Kansas has is a home game Feb. 24 against Texas. That means the Jayhawks will have a week to work in rest before they go up against the Longhorns. More than anyone, that’ll likely help Kansas graduate senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr.
But McCullar isn’t the only one who will be in position to benefit from the time in between. Redshirt senior guard Dajuan Harris Jr. simply put it postgame that it is very good they’ll have that time. And regardless of how many more might be in that group, Dickinson sounds like he certainly is.
“Yeah, no, it’s good, I think just for everyone’s bodies,” Dickinson said. “I’m finally starting to feel pretty good. That’s probably the best I’ve felt in about two months, with all the injuries I was dealing with. So, I’m starting to feel good at the right time I’d say.”
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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball earns Big 12 Conference road win against Oklahoma
