MENS BASKETBALL

Kansas 83, Oklahoma State 54

DAVID SMALE
ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Hunter Dickinson and K.J. Adams Jr. each scored 16 points to lead a balanced scoring attack and No. 8 Kansas defeated Oklahoma State 83-54.

All five Kansas starters scored in double figures.

The Jayhawks, who played without all-America candidate Kevin McCullar Jr., cruised throughout the second half. Their lead never dipped below the halftime margin of 18 points.

Kansas (17-4, 5-3 Big 12) got 12 points from Dajuan Harris Jr., 11 from Johnny Furphy and 10 from Elmarko Jackson. Dickinson had a double-double with 11 rebounds, and Harris had seven assists.

Oklahoma State (9-12, 1-7) was led by John-Michael Wright with 16 points. Brandon Garrison added 11 points after scoring the first seven points of the game for the Cowboys.

Kansas gradually pulled away in the first half, grabbing its first double-digit lead with 11:12 left in the first half on a jumper by Jackson. When Dickinson hit a foul-line jumper to cap a 12-0 run, the Jayhawks led 33-15. They led by as many as 21 points in the first half before taking a 44-26 lead into the locker room.

The Jayhawks were scorching from the field. They shot 64.3% (18 of 28) in the first half, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range.

THE TAKEAWAY

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys, the youngest team in the Big 12 Conference, don’t have the depth to compete in the upper tier of the conference at this point.

Kansas: The Jayhawks didn’t miss leading scorer McCullar, who was out with an undisclosed injury.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Kansas athletics press release

January 30, 2024