Zeke Mayo hit five 3s and scored a season-high 26 points, Hunter Dickinson had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and No. 10 Kansas bounced back from consecutive losses with a 75-60 rout of NC State on Saturday.
Dajuan Harris Jr. added 15 points and six assists for the Jayhawks (8-2), who scored the first 15 points of the game but didn’t have it in hand until midway through the second half, when Dickinson scored eight consecutive points to bury the Wolfpack.
“We were ready to play to start the game,” said Kansas head coach Bill Self. “Guys were locked in. I thought Dajuan, Zeke and Hunter were all really good tonight, I mean really good.”
Kansas won its 20th consecutive nonconference home game and avoided its first three-game skid since the 2022-23 season.
Ben Middlebrooks had 14 points and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield finished with 12 for the Wolfpack (7-4), who have lost their last 13 games to Kansas since winning their first matchup at Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 20, 1958.
Takeaways
NC State was able to get the Kansas big men into foul trouble, and that allowed Middlebrooks to have success. But the Wolfpack didn’t get enough production from the perimeter, where Dontrez Styles and Marcus Hill struggled.
Kansas proved it could survive foul trouble in the paint. Dickinson had three fouls and KJ Adams Jr. and Flory Bidunga had four apiece with 12 minutes left. But the Jayhawks’ guards, and Mayo in particular, were able to take over the game.
Key Moment
The Jayhawks led 48-41 with 13:10 left when Mayo rattled in a 3-pointer from the corner. He added a free throw moments later, then a blow-by layup, giving Kansas a 54-41 lead with 12 minutes to go.
Key Stat
5 — Harris hit a layup with 18:14 left to give him 1,001 points for his career. He’s the fifth member of the team to surpass that plateau, joining Mayo, Dickinson, David Coit and Shakeel Moore.
Up Next
NC State plays Rider on Sunday, Dec. 22. Kansas plays Brown the same day.