Takeaways from Kansas basketball's win over Colorado: Have Jayhawks fixed their defense?

Shreyas Laddha, The Kansas City Star on Feb 11, 2025

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This Kansas men’s basketball team doesn’t make it easy on themselves. Nor did the Jayhawks look effortless the way they played on Tuesday.

But a win is a win — and this Jayhawks team certainly needs to start stacking more of those after playing .500 ball for about three weeks.

The Jayhawks, who opened as 18.5-point favorites over Colorado, did just enough to walk away with a decisive victory against the worst team in the Big 12.

No. 17 Kansas defeated Colorado 71-59 on Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks (17-7, 8-5 Big 12) won their first of two matchups between the sides.

A big reason for that was KU’s defense — a calling card for Bill Self teams. The Jayhawks stepped up on that end in pivotal moments, doing so in a new look of sorts on Tuesday.

The Jayhawks wore special jerseys to commemorate Black History Month. According to KU Athletics, women’s basketball pioneer Lusia Harris inspired the design.

KU big man Hunter Dickinson led the way with 19 points and nine rebounds. Guard Zeke Mayo added 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

The Jayhawks controlled most of the game, though they didn’t run away with it. KU led 40-26 at half behind Dickinson’s 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting in the period.

Midway through the second half, the Buffs cut KU’s lead to five but would not get closer.

Up next: KU travels to play Utah on Saturday.

Until then, here are three takeaways from KU’s home win on Tuesday:

Jayhawks defense locks up Colorado

The Buffs are now on a 13-game losing streak and have yet to win a conference game. The reasons for that were apparent on Tuesday.

That said, KU’s defense was still stellar. After a fast start by the Buffs, the Jayhawks’ defense suffocated the Colorado offense. The Buffs shot only 33.3% from the field in the first half, including 9% on 3-pointers.

It seemed that any time Colorado attempted to gain momentum, KU’s defense forced a turnover (the Buffs had six in the period) or contested a difficult shot.

KU’s defense wasn’t quite as impressive in the second half, but made pivotal stops when needed. The Buffs ended the night with eight turnovers and shot 39% from the field, including 18% on 3-pointers.

KJ Adams continues to impress

After a stellar game against K-State on Saturday, KU forward KJ Adams impressed against the Buffs.

Adams was a force on both ends. The undersized big man, who seldom scores outside of 10 feet, even hit two jumpers.

On the defensive end, Adams was his usual stellar self, forcing Buffs players into turnovers and bad shots.

Like much of this Jayhawks squad, Adams has had a very up-and-down season. So seeing him put together two quality outings is a positive sign.

He finished with 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

What’s up with Rylan Griffen?

Transfer wing Rylan Griffen is in the midst of a tough stretch. He’s scored only 11 points — total — in his last three games (3.7 PPG). He hasn’t shot above 33.3% in any of those contests.

His shooting has been brutal to watch. After shooting 1 for 7 (including 1 for 6 on 3-pointers) in the K-State loss, Griffen only shot five shots on Tuesday.

Not only did he appear tentative when shooting, he didn’t make a single one. For the Jayhawks, getting Griffen to play to his usual standard is important. He gives the Jayhawks much-needed perimeter shooting and spacing, which is particularly important in lineups with Harris and Adams on the court.

He finished the night with three points and one turnover in 16 minutes. He shot 0 for 4 on 3-pointers.

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