2023-11-24 18:02:37
LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball finished in third place at the Maui Invitational on Wednesday with a 69-60 win in Hawaii once morest Tennessee.
Here are a few takeaways from the No. 1 Jayhawks (5-1) victory once morest the No. 8 Volunteers (4-2):
Turnovers remain a problem for Kansas
Turnovers played a pivotal role in Kansas’ loss Tuesday once morest No. 5 Marquette, and might’ve spelled doom for the Jayhawks once morest Tennessee. Kansas turned the ball over 15 times and allowed 17 points off of those turnovers. The Volunteers turned the ball over six times and allowed five points off of those turnovers.
But the Jayhawks were able to overcome those miscues. They just had to endure a closer contest than they would have otherwise. Graduate senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. finished with a team-high seven turnovers.
Hunter Dickinson nearly has another 20-20, double-double
At the Champions Classic in Chicago earlier this month, senior center Hunter Dickinson delivered a 27-point and 21-rebound double-double in the win once morest now-No. 16 Kentucky. Against Tennessee, he had 17 points and 20 rebounds. He shot 7-for-13 from the field, 1-for-2 from behind the arc and 2-for-5 from the free-throw line.
This season, Dickinson is averaging a double-double of 21.2 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. Both marks are team highs at this point. He also has a team-best 10 steals so far this season.
Kansas has mixed results at the free-throw line
Kansas finished with 14 more free throw attempts than Tennessee, 22 compared to eight. That’s a really good sign for the Jayhawks, when it comes to earning those opportunities and ensuring the opponent does not. But Kansas shot a far worse percentage and didn’t end up making too many more.
The Jayhawks shot 11-for-22 (50%) from the free-throw line. The Volunteers shot 7-for-8 (87.5%) from the free-throw line. It’s another detail that might mean a loss in a future contest.
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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 [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
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