Jayhawks vs Buffaloes 71-64: Kansas Basketball holds off late surge from Colorado

Hunter Dickinson’s 32-point, 13-rebound effort led Kansas past Colorado in a 71-64 road win despite struggles.

Kansas Jayhawks relied on a familiar force in its offense Monday night, as Hunter Dickinson delivered a dominant 32-point, 13-rebound performance to power the Jayhawks to a hard-fought 71-64 victory over Colorado at CU Events Center.

Struggling to generate consistent offense, Kansas leaned on Dickinson, who shot 13-for-18 from the field and provided crucial buckets down the stretch. KJ Adams added 15 points, his highest output in Big 12 play, helping the Jayhawks overcome a tough night on the boards.

 

 

 

 

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Kansas surrendered 18 offensive rebounds and failed to register a single second-chance point, but Colorado’s inefficiency (38.2% from the field, 20.8% from three) kept the game within reach.

The Jayhawks came out firing, making their first six shots, including two pull-up jumpers from Adams. Dickinson imposed his presence early, notching six points and three rebounds before the first media timeout as KU built a 14-4 lead.

Colorado struggled to find a rhythm but capitalized on KU’s turnovers. Bangot Dak provided an early spark for the Buffaloes with back-to-back dunks, prompting Kansas coach Bill Self to call an immediate timeout.

KU reestablished control behind Dickinson, who reached 15 points within the first 15 minutes. However, Colorado stayed within striking distance thanks to second-chance opportunities.

After an offensive rebound off a missed free throw, Andrej Jakimovski drilled a three-pointer, cutting the deficit to 32-28. A late layup by CU’s Javon Ruffin at the halftime buzzer left Kansas clinging to a 37-32 lead.

 

 

 

 

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The Buffaloes erased the deficit early in the second half as KU missed its first five free throws. Julian Hammond III tied the game at 37 with a transition three-point play and later gave CU its first lead with a contested shot in the lane.

Both teams struggled offensively in a stretch filled with empty possessions, but Kansas edged ahead 51-46. Colorado answered with a deep three from Hammond, keeping the game tight. Dak’s inside presence kept the Buffaloes close, but foul trouble limited his impact.

With 4:45 remaining, Dak fouled Rylan Griffen on a three-point attempt, sending him to the bench with four fouls. Griffen converted all three free throws, but Hammond responded with another three-pointer to keep CU in contention.

In the final minutes, Dickinson took over. With Kansas leading 65-60, he scored a layup and an alley-oop dunk to ice the game. Colorado remained within reach through free throws but failed to make a field goal in the final 4:12.

The win moves Kansas to 19-9 (10-7 Big 12) as they prepare to host No. 10 Texas Tech on Saturday. The Red Raiders are coming off a 69-61 home loss to No. 4 Houston.