Kansas and Hunter Dickinson blow out UCF men’s hoops

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Kansas center Hunter Dickinson didn’t need much motivation when facing UCF on Sunday, particularly after last season’s 5-point loss to the Knights at Addition Financial Arena.

But a bit of confetti provided an extra spark for the All-American.

“We saw confetti falling from the top,” Dickinson said. “Somebody was expecting another upset this year, so we carried that into [today’s game].”

According to a school official, the confetti was a remnant from a New Year’s Eve event in the arena, but the damage was done.

Dickinson finished with 27 points to lead five players in double figures as No. 7 Kansas rolled to a 99-48 Big 12 romp over UCF. The 51-point loss was the second-largest in program history, matching a mark set on Nov. 24, 1984, against Florida.

The loss snapped a 6-game win streak by the Knights.

“We hang our hat in two places: defensive and rebounding. In both areas, it wasn’t who we’ve been and who we want to be, so we have to get back in the gym and start working toward what we must do to succeed in this conference,” coach Johnny Dawkins said.

UCF (10-3, 1-1 Big 12) was coming off an impressive 87-83 win at Texas Tech on Tuesday and was looking to start 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

Jordan Ivy-Curry started the scoring for the Knights with his 28th 3-pointer of the season that cut into Kansas’ 4-0 lead. Ivy-Curry’s bucket was the only UCF field goal for the first five minutes of the game as the Knights started 1 of 7 from the field.

A pair of 3-pointers by Dallan Coleman and Darius Johnson kept UCF within 5 at 14-9.

UCF center Moustapha Thiam picked up his second foul with 11:16 in the first half, sending the true freshman to the bench. Dickinson, meanwhile, connected on 9 of 13 field goal attempts, scoring 21 points and 7 rebounds as Kansas built a 44-25 halftime lead.

“Hunter set the tone,” Dawkins said. “A fifth-year senior who I’ve known since he was in high school. He’s a great player, a great…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kansas-hunter-dickinson-dominate-ucf-233200278.html

Author : Orlando Sentinel

Publish date : 2025-01-05 23:32:00

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