Hunter Dickinson, Kevin McCullar Jr. lead No. 5 Kansas past No. 4 UConn in last-minute thriller

LAWRENCE, Kan. — It was a top-five battle early in the season as No. 5 Kanas defeated No. 4 UConn 69-65 in a sold-out Allen Fieldhouse on Friday.

UConn never led in the first half and cut it to two points halfway through the second half before senior guard Tristen Newton hit two 3s in consecutive possessions, putting the Huskies up by three with under 10 minutes in the game.

The game came down to the wire and it was a one-possession game with 23 seconds to go after Newton converted on a layup in the lane. Kansas guard K.J. Adams made two free throws in the final seconds as the Jayhawks secured the win.

"Give credit to Kansas, they made all the plays late in the game," UConn head coach Dan Hurley said after the game. "I wish we would have played better, but credit the environment. It really knocked us on our heels early on."

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti was in the building along with former Kansas standout Nick Collison (now a part of the Thunder front office). At least one scout from every NBA team was at the game to watch the talent on the court. In a draft that is wide open, NBA scouts and executives are doing their homework. Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. is one of the biggest draft risers early on. UConn sophomore center Donovan Clingan is a potential first-round pick and Newton, a senior guard, is off to a hot start and led all players with 31 points (six 3s) and six rebounds.

"Newton was the best player on the court tonight," Kansas head coach Bill Self said. "He just had to get one look at the rim and he was letting it go. They're so hard to guard on the perimeter with all the screens, dribble handoffs, we switched on everything and he still got looks."

It was the battle of the bigs as 7-foot-2 centers Hunter Dickinson and Clingan faced off. Dickinson won the head-to-head matchup and had a superior shooting night in the pick-and-pop, hitting 3-of-4 from 3-point range and finishing with 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in the win. Clingan was solid for UConn and posted eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 32 minutes on the court.

"I'm a sniper out there, what can I say?" Dickinson said with a laugh when asked about his nine points from behind the arc.

Early in the second half, Dickinson squared up, took one dribble and tried to dunk on Clingan, an easy move on any other center, but Clingan met him at the rim and got the block. On the other end, it was Clingan running in transition with Newton attempting to advance the ball. Dickinson deflected it out of bounds and stopped an easy basket.

"I was super excited for this matchup," Dickinson said. "I knew he's a great player so that's what I play the game for. I'm a competitor and I love these types of games. They obviously use him a lot in different sets and he was good down the stretch. He puts a lot of pressure on the defense so I just tried to make it so he caught the ball as far away from the basket as possible."

McCullar continues to be one of the most productive and consistent players in college basketball and the offensive performances down the stretch from both McCullar and Newton were impressive in such a high-level atmosphere. NBA scouts typically value youth and upside in the NBA Draft, but McCullar and Newton, both seniors, are commanding attention early on.

"I just pick my spots and try to be as aggressive as I can," Newton said. "My teammates have confidence in me to shoot and they gave me some looks so when I got the opportunity, I didn't hesitate. After the first three went in, I had a lot of confidence and Donovan was doing a great job setting the screen and giving me a little space."

Huskies star freshman Stephon Castle is still sidelined with a knee injury and should be back on the court soon. Castle is projected top-10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and UConn could have used him Friday night. Prior to his injury early in November, Castle was averaging 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and was shooting 67% from the field.

It doesn't get any easier for UConn as the Huskies will face No. 17 North Carolina on Tuesday and No. 11 Gonzaga on Dec. 15. Kansas has Missouri coming up on Dec. 9 and will travel to Indiana to take on the Hoosiers on Dec. 16.