Takeaways from KU basketball’s close win vs. TCU, which featured a controversial call

KU basketball’s streak of winning conference openers — now 33 of them — lives to see another day.

The No. 2-ranked Jayhawks narrowly defeated TCU 83-81 on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.

Hunter Dickinson scored 30 points, and KJ Adams added 18. The Jayhawks (13-1) improved to 26-4 against the Horned Frogs.

TCU’s Jameer Nelson Jr. missed a game-winning 3-pointer as time expired. Before that, Dickinson hit a tough inside bucket with 3.4 seconds to play to put Kansas up by the final margin

Leading up to that was a controversial call.

Kansas had the ball with 1:05 left in the game, with TCU clinging to a 2-point lead (79-77). The Jayhawks turned the ball over, but Dickinson was elbowed in the ear and fell to the ground. The referees stopped play to review for a flagrant foul.

The refs ruled it a flagrant foul and Dickinson hit both free throws — and KU retained possession. So, instead of TCU holding the ball up two with a five-on-four advantage, the Horned Frogs had to defend a possession with the score tied.

Harris hit a tough leaner to give KU a lead. TCU answered with a bucket, leading up to the Dickinson game winner.

Up next: Kansas will travel to Orlando to play UCF on Jan. 10.

Here are some takeaways from Saturday’s game:

KJ Adams makes his presence felt

Entering the game, Kansas forward KJ Adams was averaging 4.2 rebounds per contest. Well, he had six rebounds by the end of the first half, including three offensive.

It felt like any time KU desperately needed a score, Adams would come barreling in for an offensive rebound and get a second-chance bucket. Six of Adams’ 12 first-half points came on second-chance opportunities.

Adams has developed a tenacity for injecting energy into this KU team with his high-flying athleticism and brute strength — both of which he put on display against TCU.

Adams finished with 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting, along with 10 rebounds.

It was another big rebounding game just days after Adams set a career-high with 11 rebounds in a win over Wichita State.

Kansas struggles to take care of the ball

TCU is one of the best in the nation in generating turnovers, ranking No. 10 in opposing team turnover percentage.

That was on full display Saturday.

The Jayhawks struggled to take care of the ball due to TCU’s constant pressure. Multiple times, the Horned Frogs pressured a KU player after a rebound, leading to a turnover.

Kansas had nine turnovers in the first half alone, finishing with 18 total. TCU scored 22 points off turnovers. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks only scored eight.

Even on the controversial play in which Dickinson was hit in the face, the Jayhawks, trailing by two, had turned the ball over trying to force a pass inside.

KU’s defense leaves a lot to be desired

It’s not often you see a Bill Self-coached team look as bad defensively as it did on Saturday.

The Horned Frogs got into the paint at will early, making the Jayhawks pay for being a step slow on rotations. It felt like a layup line at times with how undeterred TCU was at the rim.

KU’s perimeter defense wasn’t much better. TCU has one of the lowest 3-point rates in the country (No. 340), but the Jayhawks left Horned Frog shooters open from deep. KU players got caught on screens, lost their man and allowed too many good looks.

The result? TCU shot 8-for-21 (38.1%) from deep. By comparison, Kansas shot 5-for-14 (35.7%).

TCU shot 51.5% from the field in the first half before cooling off in the second.