KU basketball dominates Manhattan College at Allen Fieldhouse. Here are three takeaways

Friday’s game was never in doubt for the University of Kansas men’s basketball team.

The Jayhawks had their fair share of highlight plays against Manhattan College, including pretty passes, thunderous dunks and basket-saving blocks.

It was a night that showcased why Kansas is the No. 1-ranked team in the country: a wire-to-wire 99-61 victory over the Jaspers at Allen Fieldhouse.

Hunter Dickinson scored 18 points and Kevin McCullar added 15 for the Jayhawks, leading Kansas to the program’s first victory over Manhattan (first time they’d played, of course).

KU is now 2-0 for the 12th time in coach Bill Self’s 21 seasons in Lawrence.

Seydou Traore led Manhattan (1-1) with 16 points.

The Jayhawks will next travel to Chicago to play Kentucky on Tuesday in the Champions Classic.

Here are some takeaways from Friday evening’s game:

KU’s defense wows in first half

Kansas’ defense was stifling in the first half.

The Jayhawks did a great job of contesting nearly every shot by getting into the airspace of shooters, rotating when needed and then, if all else failed, blocking the shot more often than not.

By the end of the half, every KU starter had recorded at least one blocked shot. Kansas had nine blocks overall. The Jayhawks even forced three shot-clock violations.

KU limited the Jaspers to 9-for-33 shooting (27.3%) from the field, including 1-for-8 (12.5%) from deep. Manhattan had just 19 points at halftime.

Johnny Furphy makes his mark

Australian sensation Johnny Furphy wowed in his 14 minutes on Friday.

Time and again, Furphy made the right basketball play. He didn’t try to do too much ... and showcased his all-around abilities in the process.

He had seven points on 3-for-5 shooting in the first half. He finished the game with 15 points and three rebounds.

After watching Furphy battle shin splits for much of the past month, the Jayhawks have to be encouraged by how comfortable and free-flowing he looked Friday. Teammates and coaching staff alike have raved about him since his arrival on campus this summer.

KU players spread out their scoring load

The Jayhawks shared the scoring load in this one.

Three KU players scored at least 15 points: Dickinson, McCullar and Furphy. Forward KJ Adams added 14.

The Jayhawks did an excellent job of not forcing shots, finding the open man and taking advantage of a Manhattan defense that struggled to get back in transition.

KU has a roster full of guys who can score. But none is one-dimensional, either. That’ll be pivotal as the Jayhawks play tougher opponents the rest of the season.