No. 11 Kansas won its seventh straight game, and its seventh in a row at home, Saturday afternoon, topping Utah 71-59.
Even if it didn’t always look like it, the Jayhawks controlled the game for long stretches, though the opening half raised some questions.
Bidunga’s dunk total, rebounding showing strong paint presence
Bidunga’s five dunks and 10 rebounds put Kansas’ interior dominance on display. The Jayhawks scored 18 of their 38 first-half points in the paint, highlighted by three first-half dunks from Bidunga, nine points from Melvin Council Jr., and a strong defensive showing, holding Utah to just 31 points in the first half.
Bidunga finished the game with seven blocks.
That interior success matters against the Utes, a team that defends the rim well. Utah might sit 1-9 in conference play after this one, but they sit near the middle of the conference in blocked shots at 3.5 per game and average around six steals per contest.
Bidunga wasn’t alone. Kansas finished with 42 points in the paint and 14 points off turnovers, all of which came on the fast break.
The starters once again made up the majority of scoring
Bidunga was one of four scorers in double figures, finishing with 17 points. Tre White added 16, Peterson scored 14, and Council chipped in with 11.
Kansas shot a season-low 3-18 from beyond the arc, finishing at just 16.7%. Only Council, Peterson, and Jayden Dawson connected from three, one shot falling a piece.
Compare that to their performance against Texas Tech, when the Jayhawks' bench totaled two points from the bench and those numbers look similar. In a home game like the Jayhawks played against BYU, it’s night and day.
The bench lacked points, not production
Bench scoring was minimal against the Utes, totaling just five points: three from Dawson and two from Jamari McDowell. That number ranks among the lowest of any game this season.
McDowell logged 24 minutes off the bench, with most of his impact coming as a facilitator rather than in the scoring column. McDowell ended the game with three assists, a block, and four rebounds.
Kohl Rosario also made an appearance, playing six minutes, shooting 0-1 from the floor while logging a block and a defensive rebound.
When you put that into perspective, it’s no wonder that Kansas never led by double figures until midway through the second half.
Looking ahead to Monday against No. 1 Arizona
On paper, Saturday is a win in more ways than one. Against top-ranked Arizona, however, Kansas can’t afford a repeat of this one.
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