Chicago — Here's a quick look back at some of the more notable facts and stats from No. 1 Kansas' 89-84 win over No. 17 Kentucky in Tuesday's blueblood showdown at the Champions Classic at United Center.
KU STARTERS (Starts at KU/Career Starts): Dajuan Harris Jr. (80/80), Elmarko Jackson (3/3), Kevin McCullar Jr. (36/85), KJ Adams Jr. (40/40), Hunter Dickinson (3/92)
SERIES INFO: Kentucky leads 24-12 (Kansas leads 3-2 in the Champions Classic)
THE KU WIN...
• Made Kansas 3-0 for the 11th time in head coach Bill Self’s 21 seasons at KU.
• Improved Kansas to 8-5 in the Champions Classic.
• Made Self 568-132 all-time at Kansas and 775-237 overall.
• Made Kansas 2,373-885 all-time.
TEAM NOTES
• Kansas overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half to win its first game when trailing by double-digits since Feb. 18, 2023 vs. No. 9 Baylor (17 points).
• Kansas made a season-high 27 free throws, the most since Jan. 10, 2023 vs. Oklahoma (31 free throws). The last time Kansas made at least 27 free throws against a ranked opponent was March 5, 2022 vs. No. 21 Texas (28 free throws).
• Kansas shot 12-of-13 (92.3 percent) from the charity stripe in the first half for its best free throw percentage in the first half of a game since March 15, 2019 against West Virginia (min. 10 attempts).
• Kansas dominated Kentucky in the paint, outscoring the Wildcats 42-24 (+18).
• Kansas dished out 22 assists for its third-consecutive game with 20 or more assists.
• Kansas had four players score in double figures (Dickinson - 27, Harris - 23, Adams - 16, McCullar - 12).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Senior Hunter Dickinson recorded his first double-double as a Jayhawk and the 32nd of his career with a game-high 27 points on 8-of-12 (66.7 percent) shooting, a career-high 21 rebounds and a career-high-tying three steals in 37 minutes. Dickinson secured the double-double in the first half with 13 points and 10 rebounds at the break. Dickinson hit his 50th career three-point field goal at the buzzer to end the first half.
• Dickinson is the first Big 12 player with a 25/20 game against a ranked opponent since Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin on Nov. 18, 2008 vs. No. 21 Davidson (25 pts, 21 reb). He is the Kansas player with a 25/20 game since Thomas Robinson on Dec. 31, 2011 vs. North Dakota (30 pts, 21 reb). A Kansas player has not had 25+ points and 20+ rebounds against a ranked opponent since at least the 1996-97 season.
• Dickinson’s 21 rebounds were the most by any player in the history of the Champions Classic, which began in 2011.
• Dickinson is the fourth Kansas player (fifth occasion) in the history of the Champions Classic to record a double-double. He joined Thomas Robinson in 2011 (11 pts, 12 reb), Dedric Lawson in 2018 (20 pts, 14 reb) and Jalen Wilson in 2020 (23 pts, 10 reb) and 2022 (25 pts, 11 reb).
• Dickinson made a career-high 10 free throws. He shot 10-of-11 (90.9 percent) from the charity stripe.
• Graduate-senior Kevin McCullar Jr. posted Kansas’ third triple-double in program history with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 37 minutes. It is the first triple-double by a Kansas player since Jeff Withey (16 points, 12 rebounds and 12 blocks) against San Jose State on Nov. 26, 2012. He joined Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine as the second player in the history of the Champions Classic to record a triple-double.
• Redshirt-senior Dajuan Harris Jr. tallied a career-high 23 points on 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) shooting, which included a career-high-tying five three-pointers to go along with his seven assists.
• Junior KJ Adams contributed 16 points on 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) shooting while also pulling down four rebounds. Adams secured his 200th career rebound in the second half. Adams also dished out three assists, swiped two steals and blocked a shot.
• Freshman Elmarko Jackson added seven points and went 5-of-6 (83.3 percent) from the free throw line.
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