Moments That Popped: No. 1 Kansas 87, Howard 57

The top-ranked Kansas men's basketball team rolled past Howard in the regular season opener on Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks went with the starting five of Dajuan Harris Jr., David Coit, Rylan Griffen, KJ Adams and Hunter Dickinson and got all kinds of production from its bench — 45 points to be exact — in the 87-57, run-away victory.

Zeke Mayo led the Jayhawks with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range, while Dickinson added 16 points and 6 rebounds and freshman big man Flory Bidunga chipped in with 13 points and 8 rebounds on 6-of-6 shooting.

Monday's win moved the Jayhawks to 1-0 on the season and marked the program's 52nd consecutive win in a home opener — the last 10 under Ted Owens, 5 under Larry Brown, 15 under Roy Williams and now 22 in a row under Bill Self.

Things will get turned up significantly later this week, when the top-ranked Jayhawks host No. 9 North Carolina for an early blue-blood clash at Allen Fieldhouse.

Tipoff for that one is slated for 6 p.m. Friday on ESPN2.

Here’s a look back at some of Monday’s action.

LIKES

• KU’s depth is real and should be a problem – Hunter Dickinson was back in the starting lineup on Monday night and that allowed the Jayhawks to really show off their depth. Remember last season, when it was painful at times to watch Bill Self go to the bench if he even went there at all? That won’t be the case this season. During the first timeout of Monday night’s game, Self plucked guards Zeke Mayo and AJ Storr along with freshman big man Flory Bidunga from his bench and subbed them into the game for Dickinson, Dajuan Harris Jr. and Rylan Griffen. That trio that Self subbed in would start at most programs in the country and two of the three were projected, if not expected, to start for the Jayhawks this season. Bringing that kind of firepower off the bench is some kind of luxury and it’s exactly what Self had in mind when he went to work rebuilding the team in the offseason and vowed to never have such limited depth again.

• Storr’s first two touches – Somebody’s been listening. After hearing KU coach Bill Self express that he wants AJ Storr to attack downhill as much as possible, the Wisconsin transfer did just that on his first two touches on Monday night. The first, a hard drive along the baseline, led to an easy bucket. The second, right into the heart of the paint from the left wing, did not result in a bucket. Didn’t matter, though. Those two plays are exactly what Self wants to see from Storr, who has the potential to be a game-wrecker with his size, strength, speed and athleticism.

• Above the rim – KU big man Flory Bidunga brings such a different dimension to this team, one we used to see all the time but haven’t seen as much in recent years. Yes, KJ Adams can put a hurtin’ on the rim with his power dunks. But throwing lobs to him isn’t always the first thought or option. With Bidunga it is, and no one does it better than Dajuan Harris Jr., who connected with him a few times during Monday’s victory. Bidunga looks like a player with much more depth to his game than just playing above the rim, even if that is where he excels. He showcased patience in the post and showed up on defense, as well. Simply put, people are gonna love him — KU fans and his KU teammates.

• Kid’s just a baller – People in the know have been trying to tell you this all offseason – Zeke Mayo is just a baller. He doesn’t care if he starts or comes off the bench. He doesn’t care if he’s the focal point or one of five options. And he doesn’t care if it’s easy, hard or somewhere in between. More often than not, he’s going to find a way to get the job done. Just like he did in Monday’s first half, when he scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting (3 of 4 from 3-point range) with 4 rebounds and a steal. All in 12 minutes. At this point, the case can be made for him as a starter or a super-sub. Whatever he is, you’ll get the same effort and attitude and likely the same production, as well.

DISLIKES

• No Shak Moore – It hardly mattered in terms of the scoreboard and the outcome, but as of last Friday, Self said he expected the Mississippi State guard to be ready to play after being held out of the exhibition games — and several weeks before that — because of an injury. Moore, who Self described, as a strong, physical, bouncy, scoring type of guard, still has plenty of time to get right and carve out a role. But on a team with this kind of depth, you have to wonder how long he can sit before it starts to become detrimental to his chances for rotation minutes. Especially if Diggy Coit keeps playing as well as he currently is.

• Storr's defense – We touched above on the step forward Storr took on offense in this one, but he's still got work to do on the defensive end, both with guarding his man, team defense and limiting his fouls. Anyone who has followed Bill Self's teams knows how important this is because you don't get the chance to excel on offense if you're not willing to grind on defense and on the glass.

WHAT THE?

• Jamari McDowell redshirting – This isn't a "What the?" in a bad way but more a genuine question about what's happening. There's been plenty of talk this preseason about sophomore guard Jamari McDowell possibly redshirting the season. KU coach Bill Self has flat-out said that he thinks the Houston native will be far too good of a player to spend one of his years of eligibility playing a small role on a stacked team. And Self confirmed after Monday's victory that McDowell is in fact planning to redshirt this season. "He actually wants to," Self said. "So, that's the plan as of now." There have been plenty of KU players in the past who have benefitted greatly from saving a season and using it down the road when they could have a bigger role. So, expect that to be the plan with McDowell if that's why he didn't play tonight.