No McCullar, no problem: Kansas basketball dominates Texas Longhorns down a starter

Kansas forward KJ Adams slowly walked to midcourt inside Allen Fieldhouse.

As the Austin, Texas native approached the Jayhawk logo, he pumped his fist, let out a roar and yelled, “Let’s go.”

Adams had completed a fast-break dunk midway through the second half vs. Texas — the visitors from Austin — for yet another highlight play. In a game filled with many SportsCenter top-10-esque moments for the Jayhawks, Adams celebrated plenty on Saturday.

Each celebration seemingly increased in enthusiasm as No. 9 KU rolled to a dominant 86-67 victory over UT in their final matchup in Lawrence as Big 12 conference foes.

After an outstanding first half, KU went into halftime with a 20-point lead (45-25). The Longhorns would cut Kansas’ lead to 13 points at one point but wouldn’t get closer.

Kansas guard Kevin McCullar missed the game due to a lingering bone bruise and Nick Timberlake started in his place. Timberlake scored 13 points, hitting one 3 in 33 minutes.

Hunter Dickinson scored 20 points, while Johnny Furphy and Adams added 16 each, as KU (21-6, 9-5 Big 12) ended its two-game losing streak against Texas.

Up next: Kansas plays host to BYU at Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday.

Until then, here are some takeaways from KU’s win over the Longhorns...

Nick Timberlake delivers

There may be two different versions of Timberlake.

After struggling much of the season off the bench, Timberlake has made the most of starting opportunities.

He averaged 10.5 points per game on 53.3% shooting in the two games he started before Saturday. He increased his scoring average in his start against Texas.

The difference in play between starter Timberlake and the version that comes off the bench is night and day. As a starter, he’s aggressive and doesn’t hesitate when shooting the ball. On top of that, he looks much more relaxed.

In the first half alone, Timberlake had eight points on 3-for-5 shooting. Two of those points came on perhaps one of the most memorable alley-oop dunks in recent Allen Fieldhouse history.

Timberlake jumped up high to catch an alley-oop pass by Dajuan Harris and flushed it down while getting fouled.

Timberlake finished with 13 points and three rebounds. If McCullar misses extended time, this version of Timberlake needs to show up every game.

KU’s defense dominates in the first half

Kansas’ first half defense was a site to behold.

Kansas did an excellent job of rotating on shooters, protecting the paint and keeping Texas from getting fully comfortable on offense despite KU missing its best defender in McCullar.

KU limited the Longhorns to 9-for-34 (26.5%) shooting, including 4-for-13 (30.9%) from the 3-point line in the half. Before Saturday, UT was ranked No. 30 nationally in 3-point percentage (36.9%).

It was one of Kansas’ best defensive performances of the season against a potent offense.

That said, KU left a lot to be desired in the second half, as Texas shot 60.7% from the field. UT finished the game shooting 26-of-62 (41.9%).

KU’s bench shows promise

Kansas’ bench issues have been well documented this season — KU ranked No. 344 in bench points before Saturday’s game.

Although the bench didn’t light the world on fire with its scoring vs. Texas (seven bench points), it was perhaps the best game by the bench in a long time. KU’s bench players played well alongside the starters and didn’t make many mistakes, perhaps more notable than anything else.

Freshman Jamari McDowell came into the game and immediately provided a spark in the first half. He scored five points and earned the Jayhawks extra possessions with two offensive rebounds and two steals.

Meanwhile, Elmarko Jackson showcased his passing prowess as a point guard.

One of the most impressive plays of the game came when Jackson whipped a behind-the-back pass through traffic to Dickinson, which he converted into an inside bucket.

Jackson finished with four assists.