Kansas blasts Central Florida; TCU rallies to stun K-State

Kansas took control early and never looked back Sunday in a 51-point win over UCF. Meanwhile, Kansas State saw a six-point lead dissipate as TCU scored the game's last seven points to win 63-62.

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January 6, 2025 - 1:38 PM

In this file photo, Kansas head coach Bill Self talks to the team during the Vegas Showdown college basketball game against the Duke Blue Devils at T-Mobile Arena on Nov. 26, 2024, in Las Vegas. Photo by Daniel Jacobi II/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson scored 21 of his 27 points in the first half and No. 7 Kansas posted the second-largest margin of victory in program history Sunday, beating UCF 99-48 in a Big 12 matchup.

Dickinson, a 7-foot-2 senior center, shot 12 for 17 from the field and had nine rebounds while limiting UCF’s Moustapha Thiam, a 7-2 freshman who was slowed by foul trouble, to four points.

Flory Bidunga had 12 points and five rebounds, Rylan Griffen scored 14 points and Dajuan Harris Jr. and AJ Storr each had 11 for the Jayhawks (10-3, 1-1).

Kansas went on a 23-8 run after Thiam’s second foul in the first half and held UCF without a field goal for more than seven minutes. The Knights missed 11 straight shots during that run and made only three of their final 19 shots in the first half. UCF shot 20.6% in the game and was 7 for 30 from 3-point distance.

Keyshawn Hall had 12 points on 4-for-17 shooting as UCF (10-3, 1-1) suffered its worst home loss.

Takeaways

Kansas: Bounced back from a 62-61 loss to West Virginia in its Big 12 opener.

UCF: The Knights have plenty of length and athleticism, yet looked outclassed after an impressive win over Texas Tech in their conference opener.

Key moment

UCF was down 30 midway through the second half when Kansas had some emphatic plays. Bidunga blocked a jumper and scored a runout dunk. After a steal on the next possession, Kansas got a 3-pointer from Griffen to make it a 77-38 lead with about eight minutes to play.

Key stat

Kansas dominated the interior with 22 offensive rebounds and 37 second-chance points.

Up next

Both teams have Big 12 games Wednesday. Kansas hosts Arizona State and UCF welcomes Colorado.

TCU ends game with 7-0 run to stun K-State

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