KU, ‘just trying to endure’ sans Harris, edges UCF
Jan 28, 2025, 11:31 PM ET LAWRENCE, Kan.– Kansas found itself in two extremely rare scenarios versus UCF on Tuesday night.The No. 11 Jayhawks played without point player Dajuan Harris Jr. for the first time in nearly 5 years after he fine-tuned his ankle in practice. And the Knights had them on the brink of back-to-back losses at Allen Fieldhouse for the first time considering that Roy Williams was in his very first season wandering the Kansas sideline almost 36 years ago.In completion, the Jayhawks(15-5, 6-3 Big 12) had adequate to hold on versus a group it beat by 51 points on the road simply a number of weeks back. Zeke Mayo poured in 24 points, including a pair of clinching complimentary throws with 3.1 seconds to go, and Hunter Dickinson had 24 points and made some essential foul shots of his own in a 91-87 triumph over the Knights.” We were just attempting to survive, “Kansas coach Bill Self said.”I think it’s pretty evident how important Juan seeks watching
our ballhandling and getting us into offense and defense. “Editor’s Picks< img src= "https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2025/0127/r1443936_1296x1296_1-1.jpg&w=130&h=130&scale=crop&location=center"
width =” 65 “height =”65″/ >
1 Associated At least the Jayhawks had KJ Adams Jr. back from a shoulder injury. He had sat out the previous three games, and the senior forward made a number of important plays down the stretch to help Kansas prevent its 3rd home loss of the season.
“He was substantial– somebody we definitely required. He has so much heart,” Mayo said. “He brings an energy to our team that’s hard to discover in someone else. He’s very gritty and that’s a guy we require for the rest of the year.”
Harris has actually played in 159 games and had actually begun the previous 98, tied for the seventh-longest streak at Kansas, and his 4,688 minutes played are 2nd just to Danny Manning in school history. And the Jayhawks could have utilized him in the very first half, when Shakeel Moore picked up a set of fouls and the depth of the Kansas backcourt was tested.Mayo kept the
Jayhawks in the game, drilling six 3-pointers and striking a selection of floaters while taking down nine rebounds and dishing out 6 assists. David Coit came off the bench and hit 4 threes and ended up with 12 points.Both kept their composure down the stretch, something Kansas was unable to do in its double-overtime loss to Houston on Saturday.The Jayhawks, who tracked by 9 in the 2nd half,
utilized a 12-2 gone to take the lead. And they were still clinging to an 87-86 benefit when Adams forced Keyshawn Hall– who completed with 34 points– into a turnover.Adams was fouled and made both free tosses with 4.6 seconds left, putting the Knights in a bind.Kansas decided to foul Darius Johnson, who missed his first nasty shot before making the second. The Jayhawks inbounded the ball to Mayo, who was
quickly fouled, and his two free tosses with 3.1 seconds left put away the game.”It’s next man up, and trusting Coach in what he puts out there for us, “Mayo stated.”It’s about playing together, remaining linked, and we’re just going to continue to move forward. Have Juan back, hopefully, and opt for a run.”Harris has scored 1,078 points with 786 helps, and he needs 19 to pass Jacque Vaughn for No. 2 on the profession list behind Aaron Miles. The only player to appear in more games for Kansas is Mitch Lightfoot, who played in 168. Depending on the number of games Harris remains, he could exceed that by the end of the regular season or in the Big 12 or NCAA competitions.”We thought he was playing this morning. We believed he was great this morning and obviously goes out to the shootaround and could not do anything on it, “Self said. “Thankfully, it’s Tuesday. Tomorrow is an off day and we’ll see if he’s able to go Thursday. “