Points in the paint propelled the No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks over the No. 5 Texas Longhorns, 88-80.
Though Texas recovered from a 14-point gap in the first half, a three-minute scoring slump in the second half of the game set the Longhorns back to a deficit that they never recovered from.
Jayhawk forward Jalen Wilson, who had scored in the double figures in every game this season, was held to only two points. In his place, first-year guard Gradey Dick stepped up to add 21 points from down low.
.@gradey_dick = 𝗵𝗶𝗺
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) February 7, 2023
make that 21 for 4️⃣ tonight‼️ pic.twitter.com/KnMN7p1Yh2
Depth from the bench of Joseph Yesufu, MJ Rice and Ernest Udeh Jr. contributed another 22 points to the scoreboard. Forward K.J. Adams gained Kansas possession time by putting up seven offensive rebounds.
On the defensive end, the Jayhawks couldn’t seem to stop Minnesota transfer Marcus Carr. Shooting 86% from behind the charity stripe, Carr boasted a game-high 29-point performance, an offensive spark that carried Texas. Carr only had help in forward Timmy Allen and guard Sir’Jabari Rice, who combined for 30 points and nine boards, but the Longhorn effort proved futile in the waning minutes of regulation.
With this top-10 win, Kansas improves to 19-5 on the season; Texas drops its record to 19-5.
