O basquete KU guia Indiana: recapitulação do jogo e conclusões

The Kansas men’s basketball team won’t earn style points for its play against the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday afternoon.

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But a win is a win — and an impressive road win at that.

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The second-ranked Jayhawks did just enough to defeat fellow blue blood Indiana 75-71 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

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Senior guard Kevin McCullar scored 21 points and center Hunter Dickinson add 17 more as Kansas earned its second straight victory over Indiana. The Jayhawks (10-1) earned their first-ever win over the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall, and they tied the all-time series 8-8.

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McCullar iced the game with free throws with 7.9 seconds left to give the Jayhawks their four-point lead.

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There were plenty of dramatic moments late.

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In the final stages, McCullar missed a free throw, and the ball was batted out of bounds. Despite protests from the Indiana players, and the referee accidentally signaling the wrong way after a review, Kansas retained possession, and McCullar was fouled again.

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He hit two free throws to give KU a four-point cushion. Indiana scored, but McCullar drained two more to put the game at its final margin.

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Indiana did have the chance to take the lead late, but Hoosier guard Trey Galloway missed a 3-pointer with 23 seconds left. Galloway fouled out but finished with 28 points on 12-for-17 shooting.

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The finish did not resemble much of the game action, as the Jayhawks actually took their first lead of the game deep into the second half. A Dickinson bucket put the Jayhawks up 62-61 with 4:53 to play for KU’s first lead.

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The Jayhawks trailed by as many as 13. Indiana led for 35:01 of game time.

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Kansas will now have a little break before hosting the Ivy League’s Yale at Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 22.

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Here are some takeaways from Saturday’s game:

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KJ Adams continues his stellar play

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KJ Adams had his sixth straight game scoring in double-figures on Saturday. In fact, it was his fourth in a row with 14-plus points.

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Although IU packed the paint, the forward was the only Kansas player who wasn’t afraid to take it inside. He used his strength and physicality to absorb the contact by IU defenders and still made buckets.

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On the defensive end, Adams put in another strong performance, and helped force late stops to keep the Jayhawks in front. Notably, Adams was coming off a win over Missouri in which his highlight block helped turn the momentum of the game.

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He finished with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal. Adams, who plays the four, has had 14 assists in his last three games.

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Kansas ice-cold on offense early

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The Jayhawks struggled to create quality shots against a stout IU defense in the first half.

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The Hoosiers packed the paint, double-teamed Dickinson and dared the Jayhawks to shoot.

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It led to disastrous results for Kansas.

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KU shot 12-for-34 (35%) from the field in the half. Perhaps the more concerning mark was KU’s abysmal shooting from deep — 2-of-10 (20%) from 3-point range. Heading into the game, Kansas ranked No. 320 in 3-point rate, though the Jayhawks were shooting a decent percentage on the season.

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IU seemed to understand that, leaving Kansas guards like Elmarko Jackson and Dajuan Harris open from deep. Despite being open, the pair were hesitant to shoot attempting only two 3s combined in the first half.

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However, in the second half the shooting picked up: Kansas went 4-for-8 from 3 (6-for-18, 33.3% total), including a big make by McCullar off an Adams screen down the stretch.

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Indiana scorched the nets

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This Hoosiers team had started the season shooting 27.2% from 3-point range, ranking No. 336 in 3-point percentage.

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Well, IU snapped out of its funk on Saturday.

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As Kansas got within striking distance in the second half, the Hoosiers hit a pair of timely 3-pointers from deep. It seemed like any time KU got close, the Hoosiers would hit a backbreaking 3-pointer to keep the Jayhawks at bay.

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But that shooting cooled off late.

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Mackenzie Mgbako, who considered KU as a recruit before choosing Indiana, went 2-for-4 from 3. Galloway and Malik Reneau each went 2-for-4 from 3 as well.