LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas guard Kevin McCullar couldn’t help but stroll over to Texas Tech’s bench to hit his former teammates with a mean mug.
After fellow senior night honoree Jalen Wilson hit a tough bucket inside, McCullar answered with a spectacular play of his own. He rose up, met Red Raider star Kevin Obanor at the rim and promptly swatted his shot.
The block kept Kansas up by four points at a pivotal juncture late in the game.
Fittingly, the two Senior Night honorees stepped up in their last game at Allen Fieldhouse and helped KU gain another piece of hardware. The duo combined for 35 points as No. 3 Kansas defeated Texas Tech 67-63 on Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
The win gives Kansas (25-5, 13-4 Big 12) at least a share of the Big 12 title and knocks Baylor and K-State out of title contention. KU will win the title outright if Texas loses to TCU on Wednesday or if Kansas beats UT on Saturday in Austin.
But back on Tuesday, Wilson scored 21 points and Dajuan Harris added 16 points for the Jayhawks, who swept the season series with the Red Raiders. In January, Kansas defeated Texas Tech 75-72 at United Supermarkets Arena.
KU has won seven straight conference games and finishes the season 15-1 at Allen Fieldhouse.
De’Vion Harmon scored 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting for Texas Tech (16-14, 5-12 Big 12), which has lost four straight games to the Jayhawks. KU guard Gradey Dick was fouled with two seconds left and clinched the game after sinking both free throws to put Kansas up 67-63.
In a key sequence leading up to the finish, McCullar scored after recovering a loose ball to put Kansas up three with under a minute to play. Harris scored in transition to put KU up five, and Harmon answered with a three, leading to the final Dick free throws to ice the game.
Next up: Kansas will finish the regular season at Texas on Saturday.
Here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s game…
KU’s defense puts on a clinic early
Nobody will rewatch the first half of this game for offensive highlights, but the defense by both sides was a thing of beauty — especially KU’s.
Kansas showcased why it is ranked No. 9 in adjusted defensive efficiency (92.7), a measure of how many points you allow per 100 possessions (adjusted for opponent), on Tuesday night.
Texas Tech’s 21 first-half points were the third lowest by a KU opponent this season.The Red Raiders shot 10-for-32 (31.3%) from the floor, including 1-for-11 (9.1%) from beyond the arc in that time.
By comparison, Kansas shot 11-for-30 (36.7%) and 4-for-17 (23.5%) from three-point land.
The Jayhawks did an excellent job forcing tough shots (two airballs and two shot clock violations for Texas Tech), getting into the airspace of the Red Raider shooters and limiting them to four fast-break points in the half. Tech finished with six fast-break points for the game.
Seniors shine ... on senior night
Senior night honorees Wilson and McCullar had games to remember in their Allen Fieldhouse finale.
When Kansas found itself in an offensive rut early in the game, it was Wilson and McCullar who got the scoring going.
After Wilson missed a couple of early three-pointers, he adjusted and forced his way inside for some tough baskets. In comparison, McCullar hit two timely three-pointers to help the Jayhawks give themselves breathing room early.
Wilson scored nine points on 4-for-10 shooting from the floor in the first half. He finished with 21 points, five rebounds and two blocks.
McCullar finished with 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the floor. He added nine rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
Issues on the boards once again
After getting outrebounded by West Virginia on Saturday, KU didn’t fare much better against the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech had nine-more rebounds (42-33) than the Jayhawks, including six more offensive rebounds (10-4).
Despite having more turnovers than KU (10-5), Texas Tech had a five-shot advantage (61-56) due to its offensive rebounding.
Texas Tech did an excellent job of limiting KU’s momentum with timely rebounds. KU center KJ Adams did chip in with seven defensive rebounds (eight total), but the Jayhawks struggled on the glass once again.
