Kansas basketball vs. Wisconsin recap: Kansas wins 69-68 in overtime

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — Kansas men's basketball's 2022-23 season continued Thursday with a Battle 4 Atlantis tournament matchup inside the Imperial Arena against Wisconsin.

The No. 3 Jayhawks came in off of an 80-74 win in this event against NC State. The Badgers came in off of a 43-42 win in this event against Dayton. Kansas looked to continue its success in this tournament, which it hadn't been a part of since 2013.

Did coach Bill Self's Jayhawks squad remain undefeated? Did coach Greg Gard's Badgers squad pull off a major upset? This was a matchup between Big 12 Conference and Big Ten Conference programs.

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Here's what happened:

FINAL: Kansas 69, Wisconsin 68

Bobby Pettiford Jr. had a put-back just before the buzzer to deliver the win for Kansas.

Kansas leads 65-63 against Wisconsin with 2:03 left in overtime

There hasn't been a whole lot of scoring yet in halftime. In fact, Kansas has the one and only bucket so far and leads 65-63 with 2:03 left in overtime. That came from Dajuan Harris Jr.

END 2ND HALF: Kansas 63, Wisconsin 63

Wisconsin went on a run as the second half came to a close and took a late lead, but Kansas tied the score in the closing seconds on a 3-pointer by Kevin McCullar Jr. Then the Jayhawks got a stop. Overtime, here we come.

Kansas leads 60-52 against Wisconsin with 3:38 left in 2nd half

A Kevin McCullar Jr. 3-pointer has led to a Wisconsin timeout, again. This one put the Jayhawks up 60-52 with 3:38 left in the second half. He's up to 15 points and is shooting a lot better than he did early in the contest.

Wisconsin did take a brief lead, up 52-50, during this stretch. But Kansas quickly took it back. Jalen Wilson deserves a lot of credit for that.

Kansas and Wisconsin are tied 48-48 with 8:00 left in 2nd half

Wisconsin's comeback has brought the two sides level with eight minutes left in the second half. Turnovers have been a major issue in the second half for Kansas, which has eight after halftime. The Jayhawks will need to clean that up to be able to come away from this with a win.

Neither side is shooting the ball all that well from the free-throw line. That should be another area to watch as the game comes to an end. Both teams are in the bonus.

Kansas leads 43-37 with 12:06 left in 2nd half

The Jayhawks are averaging about a turnover a minute in this recent stretch, and have seen their lead drop to six points with about 12 minutes left in the second half. Both Dajuan Harris Jr. and Kevin McCullar Jr. are up to three fouls. That's two of Kansas' best defenders, if not the top two, in foul trouble as the Badgers are making a run.

Connor Essegian is doing a lot to spark this run for Wisconsin. He's up to 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting from the field and a 2-for-6 mark on 3s. For now, it'll be up to players other than Harris and McCullar to slow him down.

Kansas leads 39-26 with 15:52 left in 2nd half

The Jayhawks and Badgers have been even as the second half has gotten underway. Kansas, which sent out its starters after halftime, remains up 13 with a little less than 16 minutes left in the second half. Wisconsin is going to need to be more aggressive offensively than they've been, because while Kansas won't want to become stale offensively the Jayhawks also aren't pressed for time in the same way the Badgers are right now.

Jalen Wilson is up to 16 points to lead all scorers, in addition to the seven rebounds he's pulled down that also leads all players in this one. He's on the way to another double-double. His emergence as a leader for the Jayhawks has been key in the Bahamas and this season overall.

HALFTIME: Kansas 33, Wisconsin 20

Kansas leads 26-15 against Wisconsin with 2:58 left in 1st half

MJ Rice entered the game with 4:05 remaining, meaning both he and Zach Clemence have made their first appearances for the Jayhawks in this tournament after recently returning to being available in practice. Rice figures to be a key part of Kansas' rotation later on this season. So, it's good news for the Jayhawks that he's back in action.

Regarding Wisconsin, the Badgers haven't scored in more than three minutes. Kansas is contesting shots, and playing with a lot of effort defensively. A diving play from KJ Adams Jr. not too long ago showcased the energy the Jayhawks are playing with on that end of the court.

Kansas leads 20-12 against Wisconsin with 7:36 left in 1st half

The Jayhawks are on a 6-0 run now, and leading by eight points with about seven and a half minutes left before halftime. A Kevin McCullar Jr. 3-pointer forced a Wisconsin timeout, on a day McCullar had been struggling mightily shooting the ball. He's up to five points now after not hitting a bucket for some time.

More than half of Kansas' shots have been 3s so far, and the Jayhawks are 5-for-13 from behind the arc. It's why being out-scored 8-2 in points in the paint hasn't mattered much just yet. The Badgers are 1-for-5 on 3s so far.

Kansas and Wisconsin are tied 6-6 with 11:29 left in 1st half

Self went with a lineup that featured three smaller guards — Joseph Yesufu, Bobby Pettiford Jr. and Dajuan Harris Jr. — to get level with the Badgers. Kansas, which had Jalen Wilson and Zach Clemence on the court with those three during the stretch they were out there together, is now tied 6-6 with Wisconsin with 11:29 left in the first half. It was a lineup built for points, that didn't do a whole lot there but at least has the score tied again.

The Jayhawks are a poor 2-for-16 from the field and 1-for-8 from behind the arc so far. Some of those shots have been contested, but many are simply misses. Getting Gradey Dick going could do a lot for Kansas right now.

Wisconsin leads 4-3 with 15:51 left in 1st half

Kevin McCullar Jr. can't hit an open shot, and has started the game 0-for-5 from the field. Self took him out after this break with 15:51 left in the first half, and the Jayhawks trailing 4-3. They're going with the normal starters and Joseph Yesufu now, as well as Zach Clemence being in for KJ Adams Jr.

McCullar's play was emblematic of what Kansas was struggling with offensively early, settling for jumpers when they should be moving the ball more and trying to attack inside. Fix that, and they should be in a much better position. The Jayhawks are performing well defensively so far.

Kansas' Bill Self appears on team's pregame show

When it comes to Wisconsin's offense, Self said the Badgers will take their time. They're disciplined. Fans should expect to see long possessions.

When it comes to Wisconsin's defense, Self said the Badgers don't block a ton of shots but will make you shoot through traffic. They defend the 3-point arc well through their spacing. And they're disciplined on this end of the court as well.

Kansas' KJ Adams Jr. appears on team's pregame radio show

Adams said the team wants him to be more aggressive, so that's what the sophomore forward tried to do Wednesday in the win against NC State and has been trying to do this season. The biggest change for him, comparatively to his freshman season in 2021-22, has been his confidence. And he believes that's showing up on the court.

Adams compared Wisconsin to Duke, because of how the Badgers will try to play two bigs like the Blue Devils did. He'll look to bring energy defensive. And he's enjoying being able to showcase that in the Bahamas.

The starters

Wisconsin is warming up

No changes in who's warming up for Kansas

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball beats Wisconsin in Battle 4 Atlantis tournament