DES MOINES, Iowa — Kansas guard Gradey Dick couldn’t hide his fatigue.
At a media timeout with a little less than 12 minutes left in the Jayhawks’ 96-68 opening-round NCAA Tournament win, the freshman teemed with sweat as he held his hands against his hips and took deep breaths.
He had heard KU’s coaches yell all game long to run — especially on Howard’s misses. Dick did just that. His all-out effort led to a career night, his first college double-double.
More importantly, he played a pivotal role in KU securing a win in his first-ever NCAA Tournament game on Thursday at Wells Fargo Center.
The No. 1-seeded Jayhawks (28-7, 13-5 Big 12) advanced past No. 16 Howard into the Round of 32.
Dick finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, while Jalen Wilson added 20 more points for KU, who will play the winner of Arkansas and Illinois in the Round of 32.
The first half was chaotic, fast-paced and fun. After a bit of a back-and-forth — and paced by 12 points from Dick, 11 from Wilson and eight from Kevin McCullar — KU went into the half with a 50-37 lead. The Jayhawks took complete control in the second half and didn’t look back.
That was the case even though Kansas coach Bill Self did not coach the game; assistant coach Norm Roberts led KU to the victory. Self told the Jayhawks’ pregame radio show he is hoping to return for Saturday’s second-round game.
KJ Adams said players found out Thursday morning that Self would not be with them for the game.
Here are three takeaways from Thursday’s game…
Both teams play at a frantic pace early
Heading into Thursday’s game, Howard coach Kenneth Blakeney emphasized his team plays at a quick pace: “We want to play at a pace that’s fast. We practice with a 14-second shot clock on missed shots.”
The Bison weren’t shy about launching three-pointers quickly and many of their misses were long rebounds — leading to plenty of opportunities for KU fast-break chances. In turn, both sides played at a rapid pace.
That strategy of making Kansas take shots in a hurry while Howard tried to hit timely three-pointers worked for most of the first half, but slowly KU started to get stops and execute better on the fast break.
In the first half, the Jayhawks had a five-point advantage in fast break points (12-7). KU didn’t take a lot of three-pointers in the first period (4-for-9) but instead attacked the paint. As a result, Kansas had a 10-point advantage in paint points (26-16).
Gradey Dick bounces back
After scoring six points on 3-for-11 shooting against Texas in the Big 12 Tournament final, freshman guard Dick bounced back on Thursday.
Playing in his first NCAA Tournament game, the guard hit three three-pointers and shot 7 for 13 overall.
When the game tightly contested early, Dick hit various timely buckets. The guard showed off a variety of impressive drives to the basket and hit some deep, tightly contested three-pointers.
Dick also had his first career double-double. He played 32 minutes on Thursday.
Kansas starters share the scoring load
The Jayhawks are at their best when they share the scoring load, which was on full display against the Bison.
All five Kansas starters hit double-digit points against the Bison. Dick and Wilson chipped in their 30 combined points. McCullar scored 10 with seven rebounds and five assists. Harris added 11 points, seven assists, and Adams had 13 points with four rebounds.
Whenever Howard limited a KU player, it seemed like another one would handle the scoring load.
