Short-handed Kansas handles Kansas State in Sunflower Showdown

Shreyas Laddha, The Kansas City Star on Jan 18, 2025

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LAWRENCE, Kan. — Four minutes, 30 seconds of game time.

That’s how long it took for the Kansas State Wildcats to score a point on their in-state rival, as the Kansas Jayhawks scored the first 14 points of Saturday’s meeting in Allen Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks led by as many as 16 on Saturday, never trailing in an 84-74 win over the Wildcats. From the time it was 20-4 until the final buzzer, the No. 9 Jayhawks played cool, calm and collected, answering each K-State run with timely buckets.

KU’s Hunter Dickinson finished with 25 points and eight rebounds, while guard Zeke Mayo added 24 points. The Jayhawks (13-4, 4-2 Big 12) now lead the Sunflower Showdown series 203-96.

Kansas freshman big man Flory Bidunga made his first start in place of the injured KJ Adams (shoulder separation). Dajuan Harris, Shakeel Moore, Mayo and Dickinson started alongside the freshman.

The Jayhawks went into the half leading 39-29, thanks to 14 points from Mayo. Kansas State rallied late, but the Wildcats never got closer than six in the second half.

Up Next: KU travels to Fort Worth, Texas, to face TCU on Wednesday.

Until then, here are three takeaways from Saturday’s home game:

No Adams? Bidunga, Storr stepped up

Before Saturday’s game, Kansas coach Bill Self talked about how Adams’ absence would be felt, but noted it was an opportunity for others to step up.

He pointed out that Bidunga, AJ Storr, Rylan Griffen and Rakease Passmore would play more prominent roles.

Well, two players — Storr and Bidunga — did just that.

Bidunga earned the start. He finished with six points, nine rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes. He helped lock down the paint; KU had 46 points in the paint to K-State’s 34. That said, he did finish with four fouls.

Meanwhile, Storr had his best game in a while. He looked comfortable and didn’t hesitate to take shots. He also hustled for loose balls and played defense with a focus he hasn’t had for most of the season.

Storr finished with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting in 17 minutes. He’s still earning Self’s trust, but his play in limited minutes was a welcome sight.

3-point shooting played a role

It’s not often the Jayhawks are the better shooting team from deep. Especially to the degree KU was on Saturday.

KU certainly took advantage of the long ball in the first half. Kansas shot 5 for 13 (38.5%) on 3-pointers. That was especially notable for a team that ranks No. 322 in 3-point rate.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats shot just 2 for 15 (13.5%) from deep in that time.

KU did a good job of contesting KSU’s 3-pointers, but even the open 3-pointers were a struggle. The gap did lessen a bit in the second half. KU finished the night shooting 37.5% from deep, while KSU improved to 23.1%.

Mayo continues to cook

The best way to describe South Dakota State transfer and Lawrence native Mayo would be a word Self has often used to describe his best players: stud.

Naturally, Mayo continued his stellar season vs. the Wildcats.

He scored 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor … in the first half. He shot a blistering 4 of 6 (66%) on 3-pointers. Mayo answered the call whenever the Jayhawks needed a bucket to cool the Wildcats’ momentum.

He did have a quieter second half but still finished with 24 points and five rebounds. Nobody could have imagined the South Dakota transfer becoming KU’s best offensive player, but Mayo has earned that title.