Kansas AD Travis Goff and basketball coach Bill Self react to NCAA news
Check out what Kansas athletic director Travis Goff and men’s basketball coach Bill Self had to say this week after learning the NCAA news.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Kansas basketball’s preparation for the 2023-24 season continued Sunday with an exhibition game against Illinois.
The Jayhawks were the nation’s top preseason team and the favorite to win the Big 12 Conference. The Fighting Illini were in position to compete for the Big Ten Conference title. It was a return to Champaign for Kansas head coach Bill Self, who was the head coach at Illinois before taking over at Lawrence before the 2003-04 season.
Who started for the Jayhawks? What was the rotation like? It was a charity game, but also an opportunity for Kansas to test itself before the season began.
Here’s what happened at State Farm Center:
Kansas game time, TV station for today’s game against Illinois
Tip: 17 o’clock
TV: Big Ten Network
Review of Kansas Basketball vs. Illinois
FINAL: Illinois 82, Kansas 75
Illinois leads 73-70 with 4:45 left in the second half
Hunter Dickinson is almost 20-10 as he has 20 points and eight rebounds this break. It’s a testament to how talented he is that he can get off to a good start and still put up stats like this. But he would certainly want that to be accompanied by a win.
Kansas has only led a total of a minute in this game and hasn’t had the lead since leading 17-16 in the first half. Illinois led for about 31.5 minutes. But the Jayhawks could still pull out a win.
Illinois leads 65-60 with 7:53 left in the 2nd half
Kansas is in some foul trouble at the moment – although no one can foul in this friendly. Both KJ Adams Jr. and Kevin McCullar Jr. committed four fouls. Hunter Dickinson has three.
For a team that no longer has the depth of previous years, this is an issue that the Jayhawks must avoid as the season progresses. You can’t afford to let one or more starters sit for as long as might sometimes be necessary. Look for opponents to incorporate this into their game plan.
Illinois leads 56-51 with 11:39 left in the second half
Illinois regained some control in this game, although without some of Kansas’ key starters in the game. The Jayhawks have every opportunity to regain momentum and go on a run. Zach Clemence had a lot to offer and will redshirt this season.
Even though it’s a spectacle, both benches are clearly keen to come away with a win. KJ Adams Jr. was one of the players who stood out on the Kansas side in this regard. And he is not alone.
Illinois leads 49-48 with 15:30 left in the 2nd half
Kansas has some life now and is on a 7-0 run. Things were much better defensively in the second half. Hunter Dickinson also looked much more comfortable and confident on the floor.
Offensively, these teams have completely different philosophies. Kansas has 30 points from the field, Illinois has 16. Of Illinois’ 40 field throws, 20 were three-pointers, while Kansas’ 35 field throws were six three-pointers.
HALFTIME: Illinois 43, Kansas 37
Illinois leads 31-23 with 4:39 left in the first half
Bill Self has just called a timeout as Kansas’ deficit has grown to eight points with about four and a half minutes remaining in the first half. He wasn’t particularly lively in the huddle during the break, but the Jayhawks definitely needed a bit of a reset. Illinois has a 7-0 record and Kansas hasn’t scored in more than three and a half minutes.
Dajuan Harris Jr. needs to be more aggressive for the Jayhawks. Although the final result of this game doesn’t matter, Kansas can’t be at its best if Harris plays like this during the regular season. Especially when other key contributors are struggling.
Illinois leads 26-23 with 7:47 left in the first half
When in doubt, it looks like Elmarko Jackson will be the point guard whenever he’s in the game and Dajuan Harris Jr. won’t be. This game hasn’t been going particularly well for Kansas so far, but if Jackson can continue to develop in that role over the course of the season, the Jayhawks won’t have to rely on Harris as much. Both had relatively quiet nights.
The second-chance point margin for Illinois is just 7-3, but the gap appears to be much larger. Kansas needs to recover better than it has so far. The Fighting Illini are shooting 50% from the field and the Jayhawks are shooting 55.6%, so neither has to help the other on further opportunities.
Illinois leads 14-13 with 11:42 left in the first half
Kevin McCullar Jr. has been incredibly aggressive so far tonight, something he’ll need to do all season for Kansas to enjoy the success it desires. He already has nine points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field – including a 1-for-1 mark on 3s. He leads all scorers.
Illinois looked to win threes of its own early. However, the Fighting Illini are just 1 of 5 from behind the arc so far. Kansas is allowed to stay close despite its own problems on offense.
Illinois leads 13-11 with 13:29 left in the first half
Hunter Dickinson’s matchup against Illinois didn’t get off to the best start. Bill Self spoke with him regularly and appeared frustrated on several occasions with Dickinson’s decision-making. But Kansas only trailed 13-11 about six and a half minutes into the first half.
Parker Braun is the Jayhawks’ starting reliever, coming in for Dickinson. Elmarko Jackson seemed to fit in, a good sign for the rookie. Kansas is definitely looking to get the ball inside and attack that way.
Tip
Kansas won the opening tip and this game is underway.
Before the game
Here are the starting five for each side
RELATED: How to watch Kansas basketball in its exhibition games against Illinois, Fort Hays State
RELATED: Kansas basketball freshman Johnny Furphy is confident he can contribute right away
RELATED: Kansas Basketball removed its 2018 Final Four banner following a case of NCAA violations
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the 2022 National Sports Media Association Sports Writer of the Year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.