PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS – The 2022-23 Kansas men’s basketball season continues Wednesday with a Battle 4 Atlantis tournament game inside Imperial Arena against NC State.
The No. 3 Jayhawks (4-0) are coming off an 82-76 home win over Southern Utah. The Wolfpack (4-0) are coming off a 74-63 win at home to Elon. This will be Kansas’ first appearance in this tournament since 2013.
Will coach Bill Self’s Jayhawks maintain their undefeated streak in their first game after a voluntary suspension, which also included assistant coach Kurtis Townsend? Will Coach Kevin Keatts’ Wolfpack team earn an upset victory? It is a combination of the Big 12 Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference programs.
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Kansas leads NC State 46-43 with 15:43 left in 2nd half
Kevin McCullar Jr. fired up the Jayhawks here and will make free throws after they come out of this timeout. McCullar hit a 3-pointer to give Kansas a 46-43 lead. There are now 15:43 left in the second half.
KJ Adams Jr. was eliminated after committing his third foul. So look for Ernest Udeh Jr. to get a long run here off the bench. For the most part, the Jayhawks have coped well with the size the Wolfpack can have in the position compared to their own.
Kansas and NC State are tied 39-39 with 17:57 left in the 2nd half
Bill Self is hot, yelling at several officials after calling a timeout with 17:57 remaining. It’s clear he’s upset both with them and the way the second half started. Kansas just saw NC State tie the score at 39-39 after an 8-0 run.
The lob just isn’t working right now for Kansas. He may have to take another path offensively if he wants to succeed. Even veterans like Dajuan Harris Jr. struggle with this.
The second half is underway
Kansas went with their usual starters at halftime. It’s Dajuan Harris Jr., Gradey Dick, Kevin McCullar Jr., Jalen Wilson and KJ Adams Jr. And the Jayhawks had the ball to start.
Kansas leads 39-31 against NC State at halftime
The Jayhawks have their biggest lead of the game before halftime, and who else but Gradey Dick to give them that. Dick made a 3-pointer late in the first half. Dick has 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field – all 3.
Kansas leads 33-27 over NC State with 3:01 left in the 1st half
The man, even Dajuan Harris Jr. just nailed a 3-pointer. The Jayhawks are now 8 for 11 behind the arc. They lead 33-27 with 3:01 left in the first half.
It looks like rookie Zuby Ejiofor did well for Kansas in the minutes he received in the first half. The Jayhawks aren’t having much success lobbing the ball to his bigs, and Ejiofor isn’t exempt from that, but with Zach Clemence recently cleared to play, they were going to need Ejiofor to be reliable. He has done so far.
Kansas and NC State are tied 25-25 with 5:59 left in the 1st half
The Jayhawks and Wolfpack played nearly three quarters of the first half and remain tied. Each team had its share of highlights, but all may have been topped by Kevin McCullar Jr. of Kansas, who scored a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired not too long ago. . It even made Bill Self laugh.
As sloppy as Kansas has been offensively at times, he was able to hit 3s to make up for it. The Jayhawks have six turnovers, but they’re also 6-for-9-of-3 — with Gradey Dick hitting the other five. A more controlled game offensively, especially when it comes to lobs, will keep Kansas rolling, as NC State also struggles to get a lot going offensively.
Kansas and NC State are tied 15-15 with 11:14 left in the 1st half
Kansas’ first substitutions in this one came with 1:25 to go in the first half. Ernest Udeh Jr. and Bobby Pettiford Jr. entered. Both Kevin McCullar Jr. and KJ Adams Jr. are out.
Kansas’ Gradey Dick leads all scorers with nine points. He’s already 3 for 4 behind the arc against NC State. Now he will just need a little more help from his teammates, including Jalen Wilson, who just won his first bucket to level the score at 15-15.
NC State leads 5-4 with 15:44 left in the 1st half
The Jayhawks are struggling to find open looks offensively. Bill Self is frustrated with the way some pieces are performed. And that’s a big part of why Kansas trails 5-4 at a timeout with 15:44 to go in the first half.
The Jayhawks defended the Wolfpack well, however. In fact, NC State is shooting the ball worse off the field than Kansas at this point. But that effort, led by Dajuan Harris Jr., wasn’t enough to stop NC State from taking the lead.
The tip
KJ Adams Jr. of Kansas won the tip, and this one is in progress.
Bill is back on the bench
Bill Self comments on MJ Rice, Zach Clemence
The entrees
Zach Clemence appears on Kansas pre-game radio show
Clemence, a freshman forward, said it was great to be back and training again after being punched in the face against North Dakota State earlier this season. It hurts to miss the trip to Indianapolis for the Champions Classic, but he noted that it was beautiful here in the Bahamas. During the offseason as he prepared for the season, he said he was working to improve on what he was already capable of.
The key to beating NC State will be keeping their shooters, Clemence said.
Add Wilder Evers walk-on to Kansas injury report
Here’s a look at Kansas freshman MJ Rice during warm-ups
Two Jayhawks to watch when it comes to playing
Zach Clemence and MJ Rice are both warming up for Kansas. It’s unclear whether the two, or one or the other, will play today after Tuesday’s training as both are recovering from health issues. Clemence was in concussion protocol, and Rice had kidney stones last weekend after also being sick earlier in the season and missing time with a back injury.
Relive the Last Kansas Contest
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas athletics at the Topeka Capital-Journal. Reach him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey. Create a new copyClose preview