UNC vs. Kansas; Live reactions and in-game analysis

Lawrence, Kansas – Friday night at Phog and we are glued to the television. No. 9 ranked UNC enters Phog Allen Fieldhouse to take on No. 1 ranked Kansas in an early season top-10 college basketball matchup.

While they won’t be matched up individually, an interesting pairing in this game will be for some early seasons Naismith Trophy implications. Returned seniors RJ Davis (UNC) and Hunter Dickinson (Kansas) will be on the field together. Dickinson started the season ranked No. 3 on On3’s College Basketball Preseason Player list, and Davis started at No. 4.

Starters

UNC: So. G Eliot CadeauSr. G RJ DavisJr. G Seth TrimbleJr. F Poor WashingtonSr. F Jae’lyn Withers

Kansas: Sr. G Dajuan HarrisJr. G Rylan GriffinSr. G David CoitSr. F KJ AdamsSr. C Hunter Dickinson

UNC vs. Kansas; Live blog

18:40 1H – UNC guard RJ Davis comes out of the gates very aggressive. He drains a three on the Tar Heels’ second possession, then finds a burst of speed as he pushes the break to draw the foul at the basket. Davis knocks down both free throws as UNC goes out to an early lead. – UNC 5, Kansas 2

13:53 IH – Kansas is on a run with Hunter Dickinson leading the way. He ties the game at 10 and then gets in front of the break to get on the block and make a superb pass for KJ Adams’ dunk. Two plays later, Dickinson finishes on the block over his right shoulder. He runs back and gives the too-small sign to UNC big. Dickinson at a very high level here. – Kansas 19, UNC 17

12:11 PM – UNC freshmen Drake Powell and Ian Jackson both made big plays for UNC. Jackson drills a wing three and makes a block at the basket and Powell with a self-creating finish at the basket. Both came off the bench, and they finish among a flurry of Kansas buckets. – Kansas 25, UNC 20

11:00 1H – Media Timeout – UNC struggles to get stops. Kansas is getting to the rim in transition and finding open looks in the half court. KJ Adams’ activity has been difficult for the Tar Heels to contain, especially when combined with the size and ability of Hunter Dickinson. We’ll see what adjustments UNC makes. – Kansas 27, UNC 20

6:32 AM – One thing about Ian Jackson is that the man has never lacked confidence. The 6-foot-5 freshman steps into a wing three to stop the leaky faucet. UNC will need to get some stops, Kansas seems to be scoring on every possession at this point. – Kansas 39, UNC 27

1:44 IH – Flory Bidunga knocks down the free kick to extend the lead to 20 points. The Jayhawks are currently 21-34 from the field. Kansas 49, UNC 29

half time; Kansas 53, UNC 38

This first half went as bad as it could for UNC. Kansas got everything they wanted on the offensive end as they won the turnover battle (7-2) and the board battle (21-18)

UNC is shooting 35.5% (11-31) from the field and 27.3 (3-11) from three. They shoot 13-14 from the FT line. Only four assists in 11 made field goals.

Kansas is led by senior forward KJ Adams with 14 points and senior guard Zeke Mayo 10 points. The Jayhawks are shooting 59.5% (22-37) from the field. They have assisted on 13 of their 22 made field goals.

UNC vs. Kansas; Second half

19:23 2H – RJ Davis starts the second half with a wing jumper, creates space with a side step and gets on the board early for this tenth point of the game. – Kansas 50, UNC 44