Kansas basketball rebounds after ugly loss as Jayhawks narrowly defeat Cincinnati

Kansas basketball had a quick turnaround after an embarrassing loss to 6-11 West Virginia on Saturday. Bill Self and the Jayhawks responded with a solid, albeit erratic, performance to defeat Cincinnati 74-69.

The contest was back-and-forth for most of the first half, and it was tied at 35 after the first 20 minutes. Cincinnati never wound up retaking the lead in the second half, but they did come close several times and made it a nail-biter down the stretch.

While Johnny Furphy had looked impressive since being inserted into the starting lineup, this was his best outing to date. The Australian freshman showed out for his family who traveled from Melbourne to watch the game, scoring a career-high 23 points and securing his first-ever double-double with 11 rebounds.

Kevin McCullar shot an inefficient 5-for-17 from the floor but still posted 20 points, grabbed five rebounds, and picked up five assists. KJ Adams dropped 11 points and three rebounds, while Hunter Dickinson was nowhere to be found most of the second half after landing in foul trouble early. He finished with 10.

The Jayhawks came into the tilt with a chip on their shoulders, yet they did not come out with a fiery attitude for a convincing win. The Bearcats outrebounded KU 40 to 29 and had more energy than Kansas. Still, they missed several open jump shots and turned it over 16 times, giving their opponent the edge.

Regardless of how they looked, the outcome still resulted in a Jayhawk victory. Sitting at No. 7 in the country with a 16-3 record (4-2 Big 12), there is still hope for Coach Self's group. There are many pieces they need to put together before they are ready for postseason play.

Kansas basketball takes the floor again on Saturday in a tough road matchup in Hilton Coliseum against No. 23 Iowa State.