No. 1 Kansas blows big lead, holds off No. 9 North Carolina in tussle of hoops heavyweights

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Only a dozen times in their storied histories had North Carolina and Kansas met on the hardwood.

They made sure No. 13 would be memorable.

The top-ranked Jayhawks raced to a 20-point first-half lead Friday night, led by All-American center Hunter Dickinson and a highly touted class of transfers. And the ninth-ranked Tar Heels mounted a big second-half comeback, led by All-American guard R.J. Davis and the rest of their elite backcourt, eventually pulling ahead as time was winding down at Allen Fieldhouse.

But just as they have so often at the Phog, the Jayhawks made the plays that mattered in the end.

Dickinson scored the go-ahead basket with 1:15 to go, added a foul shot with 12 seconds left, and watched as North Carolina’s Elliot Cadeau missed a 3-pointer as time expired that allowed the Jayhawks to escape with a 92-89 victory.

“Total class on both sides. It was cheer your team but don’t get after the other team,” said Kansas coach Bill Self, who matched building namesake Phog Allen for the most wins at the school with his 590th. “Even though we didn’t play our best, we found a way to win. I think it was a good game for both programs.”

The stars certainly shined in the latest showdown of two schools with a combined 10 national titles.

South Dakota State transfer Zeke Mayo had 21 points for Kansas. Dickinson scored 20 and KJ Adams Jr. finished with 14 as the Jayhawks (2-0) narrowly avoided matching the biggest blown-lead loss in school history.

Seth Trimble had 19 points, Davis scored 16 and Cadeau finished with 12 points and seven assists for the Tar Heels (1-1), who were able to come back from their 49-29 deficit in part because of a 28-for-31 performance at the foul line.

“I mean, any time you bring two unbelievable programs that have terrific kids and talented kids — competitive kids — it doesn’t matter whether it’s March or November. It’s going to be competitive,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said.

“You run through that tunnel and…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/no-1-kansas-blows-big-032856830.html

Author : Associated Press

Publish date : 2024-11-09 03:28:00

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