CHICAGO - Kansas didn’t just beat Kentucky on Tuesday night in the Champions Classic. The 15th-ranked Jayhawks took control with a burst early in the second half and never really let the Wildcats breathe, rolling to an 89-69 win at the United Center.
Tre White set the tone for KU with a career-high 30 points and six rebounds, while freshman forward Tyran Stokes delivered a major all-around night against the program he passed over in recruiting. Stokes finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Trey Kaufman-Renn added 12 points, six boards and six assists as Kansas improved to 3-0.
“I feel like we stayed foot on the gas tonight,” fifth-year guard Tre White said. “We didn’t get complacent.”
Kansas was also playing without guard Melvin Council Jr., who broke his foot in practice Monday. White pointed to the way the Jayhawks filled the gap.
“I feel like that’s like the blessing and the special thing about our team, is our depth and next man up,” White said.
Kentucky got strong production from guard Zoom Diallo, who scored 24 points on 10-for-13 shooting, and center Malachi Moreno, who posted 19 points and 10 rebounds. But the Wildcats were constantly fighting foul trouble, and Kansas kept making them pay.
The game opened with Kentucky punching first. The Wildcats hit their first five shots, forcing Bill Self to burn an early timeout as KU’s defense looked flat and hesitant. Self didn’t sugarcoat it afterward.
“They got anything they wanted,” Self said. “They were scoring in tight the first five possessions - I don’t think we got a stop. And our whole deal was physicality and (to) not give up easy baskets, and we were actually nervous to guard them for whatever reason, so I do think after that point, though … I thought we guarded them pretty damn good after the first five minutes or so.”
The first half also featured a tense sequence that pushed both teams into foul trouble. With KU leading 10-7, Kentucky forward Ousmane N’Diaye was called for a common foul while trying to tie up Stokes on the floor.
N’Diaye fell back as Kinney tried to help Stokes up, then got up and shoved Kinney. Both players were hit with technical fouls, and N’Diaye was then called for an offensive foul right after that.
With Moreno already sitting on two early fouls, Kentucky’s frontcourt was suddenly in a bind.
Kansas briefly moved ahead 11-10 on two Kaufman-Renn free throws, but Diallo answered with a 3-pointer. From there, the Jayhawks found their rhythm.
A 15-2 KU run turned the game. Stokes was at the center of it, shaking off a slow start and then piling up a three-point play, a 3-pointer, a deep jumper, a dunk and an assist to Christian Reeves. Kansas pushed the lead to 33-23 on another corner 3 from Stokes, and though Kentucky answered quickly through Diallo, Trent Perry restored the double-digit edge with a tough layup.
Reeves helped keep the cushion intact with a pair of putbacks, and Kaufman-Renn closed the half strong with an offensive-rebound bucket with 52 seconds left and a floater at the buzzer off an assist from Kinney. Kansas went into halftime up 46-36.
Momcilovic, Kentucky’s dead-eye shooter, was largely quiet throughout the first half and did not attempt a 3-pointer. The Wildcats’ starting frontcourt played just 11 minutes in the opening period.
Kansas came out of the break and delivered the decisive blow. Stokes knocked down two 3-pointers early in the second half, and White turned a transition chance into a three-point play even after losing the ball in midair on a foul by Diallo. That sequence stretched the lead to 59-41.
The Jayhawks eventually led by as many as 22, though they briefly lost some momentum after an ill-advised goaltend by Reeves cut into the cushion. They were still up 16 at the under-12 timeout, and White answered right after the break with a dunk on Brayden Hawthorne.
Kentucky made a push inside with Moreno, who found some success in the post, and Kansas also left points at the line by missing a series of free throws. But the Wildcats never got close enough to make it a real game. Keanu Dawes’ layup with 3:30 left effectively ended it, especially once Kentucky’s zone defense failed to change the flow.
Kansas also did a strong job limiting Momcilovic, who finished with five points on 2-for-7 shooting, including 1-for-3 from deep.
Self’s record at the United Center during his KU tenure moved to 8-1.
The Jayhawks now turn to UNLV on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. Central time at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas as part of the Players Era tournament.
In Other News...
Kansas Gets An Early Ceiling Test Against Kentuckys New-Look Firepower
The Champions Classic has a way of revealing a lot early, and this meeting with Kentucky gives Kansas a clear read on where it stands against a roster built almost entirely on fresh faces. Kentucky has opened with wins over James Madison and Manhattan, but this is a much sharper step up in class, the kind of game that can expose whether the Wildcats new-look attack is ready for a national stage.
For Kansas, the challenge starts with defending the arc and keeping freshman Tyran Stokes from taking over the game. Kentuckys best path also runs through its newcomers, with Alex Wilkins and Zoom Diallo needing to settle in quickly if the Wildcats are going to match Kansas possession for possession. It is the sort of early ceiling test that can tell you a lot about both teams, even if it leaves plenty still to be sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Must Reshuffle Its Rotation After Losing A Starting Guard
Kansas will have to make an early-season adjustment after guard Melvin Council Jr. broke the fifth metatarsal in his foot during practice and is set for surgery. Bill Self said he expects a full recovery, but the injury will keep Council out until at least January, leaving the Jayhawks to sort through their backcourt options while the schedule keeps moving, including an upcoming matchup with Kentucky.
For a team still trying to settle into its rotation, losing a guard at this stage is more than a short-term inconvenience. Self is hoping Council can make it back around the start of conference play, but until then Kansas has to find a way to absorb his minutes and maintain some stability on the perimeter without one of its expected starters. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Suddenly Has A Backcourt Problem It Didn't Expect
Kansas backcourt took a hit in practice when Melvin Council Jr. suffered a fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, a setback that will force Bill Self to adjust on the fly. Council is expected to undergo surgery within the next few days, and the injury comes at a time when the Jayhawks were still sorting out how their guard rotation would settle in during the early part of the season.
Self said Council is expected to make a full recovery and hopes to be back around the start of Big 12 play, but the immediate concern is covering his absence through the rest of the nonconference schedule. For Kansas, that means more responsibility for the other guards and a little less margin for error while the team waits for one of its key perimeter pieces to return. [Read more 🡒]