Men’s Basketball
Kansas guard Dajuan Harris Jr. (3) works to get around TCU guard Mike Miles Jr. (1) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, February 20, 2023, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Fort Worth, Texas – Forget the Big 12 race or the joy of winning a grinder on the road; Kansas point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. had only one thing on his mind when the final horn sounded in Monday night’s 63-58 away win of 3rd-ranked Kansas at 24th TCU.
get the ball
So, as soon as TCU’s Mike Miles Jr. threw the ball lengthways across the floor with little joy and no hope of winning, Harris chased it down.
Less than an hour later, the ball was still with the Jayhawks, with a few messages scrawled on it, including “Road Kill” and “Funky Town,” the unofficial name of the TCU student division.
“We had to get that one back,” Harris said after defeating the orange Nike basketball. “When we lost (to them) the first game we saw that they posted (our ball) on social media so we really wanted that win, we wanted the ball too. So I had to get it as soon as possible the buzzer rang.”
KU freshman Gradey Dick, who scored 19 points in Monday’s win and left the gym wearing one of the white T-shirts TCU was giving away for Monday’s game, added: “They were nitpicking about it so we had to be nitpicking . to.”
That word — petty, with no R as a second letter — was the perfect word to use after Monday’s win, Kansas’ fifth straight Big 12 win.
Because there was certainly nothing pretty about the way the Jayhawks won. But they liked everything about the result.
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PHOTO GALLERY: Kansas Basketball at TCU
Box score: Kansas 63, TCU 58
The KUsports ratings
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“The one in Lawrence (an 83-60 TCU win), we played horribly and they played great and we didn’t do anything to stop them playing great,” said KU coach Bill Self after the win. “Today we parried and rebounded for at least 40 minutes for at least 40 minutes.”
The Jayhawks (23-5 overall, 11-4 Big 12) held TCU 30% shooting that night, beating the Horned Frogs 48-42. They also flipped it just 11 times, somehow outperforming the bigger, bigger TCU team at 42-30 points in the suit.
Rebounds, which Dick said were “huge” for the win, played a big part in KU’s inside advantage. Thirteen of KU’s rebounds came on the offensive glass, and that resulted in 10 points for the second chance. On a night when it’s all it takes to turn 60, it’s tremendous to score 17% of games effortlessly with your own errors.
“[It was all about]trying to find a way to win,” KU junior Jalen Wilson after finishing with seven points and 13 rebounds. “It will never always be nice on the road; You’re going to have to win some ugly games. Today was one of those games but at the end of the day we will find a way to win (and) do what it takes to win.”
No course illustrated this better than the final five minutes as KU hit just three free throws in the final at 4:45 to still take the win.
The biggest stop came on a tie from TCU forward Damion Baugh by McCullar, who was both “great” and “fantastic” within six minutes during his post-game press conference.
“In the Big 12, you have to stop on the course to win big games,” said McCullar, who finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assesses, 2 blocks and a steal.
This particular game, which was actually part block, part steal, part tie-up, came with about 30 seconds to play and Kansas led by three. The possession arrow favored the Jayhawks at the time, and after running about seven seconds Wilson went to the free-throw line to try and put KU ahead with two possessions.
Wilson, who shot just 3 of 11 on the night, missed the first charity shot and gave TCU one last chance at a tie. But Baugh’s deep 3-point attempt over Dick missed the edge and McCullar snagged the rebound with 1.5 seconds left. He was promptly fouled and this time KU got the free throws they needed to thwart the game.
Make no mistake; Monday’s win was a big game. And, ball or no ball, the result put Kansas a half-game ahead of Texas in the Big 12 race with three games left. Texas will host Iowa State on Tuesday, and Baylor, now a game and a half behind KU, plays in Kansas State.
A few minutes from the clincher, playing under-six minutes on consecutive possessions, the Jayhawks got a few more stops that helped them build their cushion.
The first came when Wilson caught a TCU miss with his shoulder in a TCU player’s wing. And the second came when the Jayhawks forced a miss from the Frogs through the paint to retake possession.
Harris hit after one of the stops on a drive to the rim and Wilson recorded a hard offensive rebound and put back after put to put the Jayhawks 60-53 at 4:45 before the game.
Much of that came immediately after TCU quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Max Duggan appeared late in a tuxedo after accepting the Davey O’Brien award on campus earlier in the night.
Duggan and his date received a wild ovation from TCU fans as he took his seat at the center of the court. However, unlike Duggan’s success on the gridiron, his presence on Monday’s floor did not result in the Horned Frogs’ victory (18-10, 7-8).
When asked about the area Monday night, Self pointed to the talented QB.
“I thought it was great,” Self said of the atmosphere. “It’s the best thing since I’ve been here. And if Max Duggan only comes in every five minutes, it would be even better. I’m just glad he didn’t come here sooner.”
While KU’s obsession with grabbing the cue ball certainly suggested otherwise, the Jayhawks insisted Monday’s main goal was to continue playing with energy and effort, believing it would give them the best chance of a favorable result would give.
That’s not to say revenge didn’t play a role in Monday’s game. But the Jayhawks’ ability to focus on the right things while exacting revenge says a lot about this team’s growth over the past month.
“They came into our house and just beat us up,” McCullar said. “We came out flat that day and since then we’ve been trying to come out with more energy and just execute and play together and play in the right way and today we did that and got a big road dub that we needed.”
When asked if his players really wanted TCU back, Self added, “They did. But that’s not how I see it. I see it like they kicked our ass and we just wanted to play better this time. I think two teams have beaten us in 20 years since we’ve been in Kansas and this could easily have been the third. Things like that might not mean anything (to the players), but I know that certainly motivates our staff, which probably trickles down to them.”
As for the extra motivation of the cue ball, Harris was asked on the way out if it felt better to get the win or the ball. His answer perfectly summed up the way this team is starting to think.
“Both,” Harris said.
#KUbball PG Dajuan Harris with the arcade. TCU took it from Lawrence and posted it on social media and KU was determined to get it back tonight. When asked if it was better to get the win or the ball, Harris said, “Both.” pic.twitter.com/89LzxmJqtX
— Matt Tait (@mctait) February 21, 2023
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Written by Matt Tait
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