The No. 3-ranked Kansas men’s basketball team celebrated head coach Bill Self’s return to the bench on game day by upending unranked North Carolina State, 80-74, in a first-round Battle 4 Atlantis game on Wednesday at Imperial Arena in the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas.
Gradey Dick drilled six 3-pointers in the first half and finished with a career-high 25 points while Jalen Wilson added 19 points and 11 rebounds. The Jayhawks (5-0) advanced to Thursday’s 10 a.m. semifinal against either Wisconsin or Dayton.
Dick’s six 3s in the first half were the second most by any Jayhawk in a half in KU history. Jeff Boschee hit seven 3s in one half against Kansas State on March 9, 2000.
Terry Brown holds the record for most 3s in a game in KU history. He hit 11 against North Carolina State in 1991.
Dick went 6 of 9 from 3 in the first half, one in which the Jayhawks went 9 of 14 from long range to take a 39-31 lead. Kansas shot 10 of 21 from 3 for the game.
Kevin McCullar had 10 points and 11 rebounds and Dajuan Harris added 14 points and six assists for KU, which entered the tourney 4-0 in games coached by assistant Norm Roberts. Roberts had directed KU to wins over Omaha, North Dakota State, Duke and Southern Utah as Self served a four-game program-imposed suspension.
Casey Morsell scored 21 points for NC State, which fell to 1-12 all time vs. KU. The Jayhawks have won 12 in a row against the Wolfpack.
Tuesday’s game was close throughout. Dick hit three early 3s as the two teams played to a 15-15 tie with 11:14 left in the first half. Dick continued to score, connecting on his sixth 3-pointer of the half to give KU a 39-31 halftime lead. Wilson had nine points and KJ Adams added six in the half.
Morsell and Terquavion Smith each hit two 3s and had 10 points apiece in the first half for NC State. The Jayhawks led by as many as eight in the period.
Morsell scored eight straight points to open the second half, which tied the game at 39 with 17:57 to play.
KU built the lead back to eight at 55-47. The score was 49-47 when McCullar saved a ball from going out of bounds and dished it to Ernest Udeh, who scored at the rim. After a technical foul on Wolfpack coch Kevin Keatts, Dick hit two free throws. Then Wilson hit two more for the eight-point lead.
KU had a nine-point lead (58-49) with 11:14 left off three free throws from Dick, who was fouled shooting a 3.
N.C. State immediately rallied, cutting the gap to 61-59 at the 8:09 mark. The game was tied at 61-61 and 63-63 before Wilson scored four straight points to put KU up 67-63 with 5:46 to play.
Things remained close down the stretch. KU led 71-68 with 3:42 to play. Wilson hit a free throw, Dick scored on a reverse layup and Wilson made two more free throws to give the Jayhawks separation at 76-68.
