Jordan GuskeyTopeka Capital-Journal
LAWRENCE — Kansas men’s basketball’s 2022-23 regular season continued Saturday with a Big 12 Conference matchup at home against TCU.
The No. 2 Jayhawks came in off of a loss on the road against No. 15 Kansas State. The No. 13 Horned Frogs came in off of a loss on the road against West Virginia. Last season, Kansas won two of the three matchups it played against TCU.
Was coach Bill Self’s Jayhawks squad able to remain undefeated at home? Was coach Jamie Dixon’s Horned Frogs squad able to pull off a top-10 upset? This was Kansas’ third-straight game against a ranked opponent.
Here's what's happened inside Allen Fieldhouse:
FINAL: TCU 83, Kansas 60
TCU leads 79-57 against Kansas with 2:56 left in 2nd half
Kansas fans are exiting the stadium in bunches before the final buzzer, and it'll be curious to see how many are actually here when it's all over. TCU leads by 22 points with about three minutes left in regulation. It'd be remarkable, at the very least, if the Jayhawks made this a game.
Jalen Wilson is up to 30 points for Kansas, but he hasn't gotten much help offensively. The Horned Frogs have been much more balanced scoring the ball. And that flow offensively for TCU, compared to the Jayhawks, is showing up on the scoreboard.
TCU leads 66-50 against Kansas with 7:22 left in 2nd half
Kansas is trying to put together a comeback effort, and it hasn't scored in almost three minutes. It's lost its last four shots from the field. It's just not playing well enough to make this happen, even if TCU is encountering its own struggles offensively.
Bill Self is playing KJ Adams Jr. a lot even though Adams has four fouls, but it hasn't made enough of a difference. Ernest Udeh Jr. was struggling in place of Adams, so it was either go there or put in Zach Clemence and potentially have issues defensively. It'll be interesting to see if Zuby Ejiofor gets some time.
TCU leads 59-44 against Kansas with 11:51 left in 2nd half
Eddie Lampkin Jr. has returned to the game for TCU, which gives the Horned Frogs one of their top talents. Although he's clearly limping at times, he can still be effective to a degree. And TCU is still up 15 points at this break.
Ernest Udeh Jr. is getting some significant playing time for Kansas, with KJ Adams Jr. in foul trouble. Udeh will need to play better, though, if the Jayhawks are going to have a chance. He's made some poor decisions in recent minutes.
TCU leads 55-40 against Kansas with 15:48 left in 2nd half
The shots just aren't falling enough for the Jayhawks so far after halftime, and that's allowed the Horned Frogs to extend their lead to 15 points by this break. It's not over yet for Kansas, but it's getting to that point. The Jayhawks need to reclaim some of the momentum they've lost.
Gradey Dick could be the key to that offensively for Kansas, but right now he's just 1-for-5 from behind the arc. That'll likely need to change. He's the team's best 3-point shooter, and he's not playing like it.
HALFTIME: TCU 48, Kansas 38
The Horned Frogs may have lost one of their key players for the game during this most recent stretch. Eddie Lampkin Jr., their starting center, went down with an apparent lower leg injury on his left leg — potentially something to do with his ankle or foot. That would take away a talent that gives TCU a size advantage inside.
TCU leads 46-34 against Kansas with 2:47 left in 1st half
This has been a game of runs so far, to say the least. The latest has Kansas on a 7-0 run that has the crowd inside Allen Fieldhouse rocking. It's still a 12-point deficit for the Jayhawks, but a much more manageable one than the 22-point deficit they faced earlier in the half.
Jalen Wilson's play offensively has been huge for Kansas so far. He's up to 19 points and is 4-for-6 from behind the arc. No one else for the Jayhawks has more than six points.
TCU leads 37-23 against Kansas with 7:33 left in 1st half
Bill Self picked up a technical foul during this latest stretch after he argued a call that went against Kansas. It looked like he was definitely trying to get called for one, maybe to energize his team. And maybe it worked, because even though the Jayhawks trail by 14 points they are on an 8-0 run.
Gradey Dick hit the 3-pointer that led to TCU calling this timeout. It was his first bucket of the game. And if he can keep that going, Kansas should definitely have a chance to get back into this game.
TCU leads 26-13 against Kansas with 11:36 left in 1st half
MJ Rice recently entered the game, meaning he's playing in his first game since Jan. 3 against Texas Tech. Ernest Udeh Jr. also recently entered the game, meaning he's playing in his first game since Dec. 31 against Oklahoma State. But while the two freshmen are playing early here, it's not because Kansas is doing well.
The Jayhawks have allowed TCU to go on a 12-0 run. Kansas has missed its last five shots. And the Jayhawks are for the most part missing looks that normally would go down for them.
TCU leads 16-13 against Kansas with 14:40 left in 1st half
Kansas has to find a way to slow Damion Baugh down, as Baugh is already at nine points so far. It's clearly frustrating Bill Self, who appeared to make his first decision on a substitution after Baugh's latest basket. Self had Bobby Pettiford Jr. come in for Kevin McCullar Jr.
On the other end, Kansas has seen Jalen Wilson reach seven points for the Jayhawks without missing a basket. McCullar also has four points, after not scoring at all the last game he played. And both things bode well for Kansas offensively.
The game's started
Kansas won the opening tip, and this one is underway.
Here are the starters
No surprises for Kansas during warmups
It's game day
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
