Kansas basketball cruises by Fort Hays State as Jayhawks look to regular season opener

Kansas basketball took care of its final exhibition opponent and will now prepare for the regular season opener next week.

In the Kansas Jayhawks‘ final test before they open the regular season this upcoming Monday against NC Central, Bill Self and Co. comfortably defeated NCAA Division II opponent Fort Hays State 73-55.

A total of 13 players appeared in the contest, with three players scoring double digits in the first half alone. Hunter Dickinson shined in his Allen Fieldhouse debut with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double. Kevin McCullar added 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting, leading Kansas basketball in scoring for a consecutive exhibition, and KJ Adams chipped in 14 points in 24 minutes.

Nick Timberlake got the start at 2-guard in this one over Elmarko Jackson, though neither seized their opportunity today. The Towson transfer finished with just three points on 1-of-6 shooting. Jackson didn’t fare much better, missing both his shot attempts and being held to a goose egg in the scoring column.

The team continued its struggles from 3-point range, following up a 3-for-12 showing against Illinois on Sunday with a 6-for-28 today. Their shooting percentage (45.2%) left something to be desired against a much weaker opponent.

Johnny Furphy made his Jayhawk debut after missing the previous scrimmage due to lingering shin splints. He appeared in a little less than 14 minutes, scoring two points and three rebounds.

While the final score doesn’t indicate the Jayhawks played at their best, Bill Self was experimenting with several lineups and even played the walk-ons for a good portion of the fourth quarter. There is not much to take away from this contest besides the team is still learning to gel together.

This game didn’t count, but Monday marks the first regular season game of the season. Kansas plays two buy games against NC Central and Manhattan before meeting up with Kentucky at the annual Champions Classic.