Preview: KU opens the season Monday against Howard

JasperNovember 5, 2024

Preview: KU opens the season Monday against Howard

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Kansas guard Zeke Mayo (5) celebrates after making a basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Washburn on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in Lawrence. Kansas won 84-53.

After a long offseason that included a second straight NCAA Tournament second-round exit and two different exhibition games, the Kansas men’s basketball team returns to the court for real on Monday.

The Jayhawks host Howard at Allen Fieldhouse on Monday night at 7 p.m. The game is both the second annual McLendon Classic — honoring John McLendon, a KU alumnus and the first African-American basketball coach at a predominantly white university — and a rematch of the first-round match of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, which KU won 96-68.

Head coach Kenny Blakeney then led the Bison to a second straight tournament berth last season and just the fourth in program history. (Incidentally, they lost two of those four tournament games to KU; last year they fell to Wagner in the First Four.)

Howard is expecting another strong season in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference this year, with Bryce Harris, a senior guard who led the team in points (16.6) and rebounds (7.5), projected to win the award will win as the league and preseason conference Player of the Year) per game last season. Marcus Dockery, a fellow starter in the backcourt, another double-digit scorer, was a second-team all-league selection in the preseason.

In last year’s McLendon Classic, the season opener, KU defeated North Carolina Central 99-56 behind more than 20 points from Kevin McCullar Jr. and Hunter Dickinson. North Carolina Central finished one spot ahead of Howard in last season’s final NCAA NET rankings.

Dickinson, who made his debut for KU in this game last season, will be in the spotlight this time as he is expected to make his first appearance of the new year after missing both exhibition games with a sprained foot. The same goes for backup point guard Shakeel Moore, a transfer from Mississippi State who missed nine weeks of practice because of a broken bone in his foot. Head coach Bill Self said Friday that Dickinson and Moore had not been limited in practice recently, “so yeah, unless something unforeseen happens, we should be good.”

The Howard game provides an opportunity for Dickinson to showcase his offseason improvement, although Self said that may not necessarily be immediately apparent as he tries to regain his rhythm.

“His touch around the basket was almost perfect,” forward Zach Clemence said of Dickinson. “His shooting has always been good, but it’s going down a lot more. He definitely has a good attitude for his senior year, you can just see it in his eyes.”

Exactly who might be in the starting lineup with Dickinson is still unknown, although Dickinson’s long-suspected lineup with fellow returning players KJ Adams and Dajuan Harris Jr. and transfers Zeke Mayo and AJ Storr is essentially Arkansas’ lineup with Dickinson back for Flory is Bidunga – could be a strong possibility.

Self, who said Friday he has not yet made a decision regarding the starting lineup or possible redshirt candidates, previously said the only reason he benched Mayo for the Washburn show was because he saw Mayo in practice couldn’t get myself to shoot the ball; Mayo responded by firing frequently and accurately against the Ichabods.

No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks vs. Howard Bison

• Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, 7 p.m

• Transmitted: ESPN+

• radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (in Lawrence, KLWN AM 1320 / K269GB FM 101.7 / KMXN FM 92.9)

Keep an eye out

Storr stabilizes: Storr, who arrived from Wisconsin in the offseason as one of the top transfers in the portal, didn’t look comfortable in any of the exhibition games, averaging eight points and two rebounds on just 33% shooting. Self has taken responsibility for Storr’s current condition, noting that the player is trying to reconcile his own idea of what it means to be aggressive on the field with Self’s and may be overthinking as a result. Whatever the case, KU already has big games coming up against North Carolina on Friday, so the opener could be a significant opportunity for Storr to show his great promise and take a step forward.

Moore’s minutes: Moore has had a longer injury absence than Dickinson and didn’t have long to adjust to KU basketball before getting injured. Self has talked a lot about his experience and defensive potential, and has also drawn a line between his role as a point guard and David Coit’s play off the ball. In this game, it will be interesting to see whether Self takes over Moore as the first point guard off the bench or leaves Mayo to handle the ball if Dajuan Harris is out, and how that arrangement might evolve over the course of the season.

McLendon recognition: This year’s edition of the McLendon Classic will not have a community event the day before like last year’s inaugural edition, but alongside patches for the coaching staff and pre-game shooting jerseys for the players, there will be moments dedicated to honoring McLendon during the McLendon Classic are dedicated game. According to a press release, there will be opportunities to “highlight current affinity groups at KU that continue McLendon’s legacy of inclusion, proactivity and perseverance.”

Observation out of balance

Five players who played for Howard in the 2023 matchup against KU are still on the roster: Dockery, Bryce Harris, Ose Okojie, Miles Stewart and Ayodele Taiwo. KU has three from this game in Adams, Clemence and Dajuan Harris.