NORMAN, Okla. — Kansas guard Gradey Dick had an opening.
The freshman raced down the floor, rose in the air, cocked back his arm and slammed the ball through the rim.
The crowd inside Oklahoma’s Lloyd Noble Center roared — the loudest it had all game.
The basket put KU up 14 points midway through the second half and in complete control of the game.
In what felt like a home game for the road Jayhawks, the No. 9 Kansas men’s basketball team blew out Oklahoma, 78-55, at Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday.
Jalen Wilson scored 18 points and Dajuan Harris added 16 for the Jayhawks, who completed a season sweep of Oklahoma. In January, KU defeated OU, 79-75, at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas (20-5, 8-4) has won five straight against OU, including a 28-6 record under coach Bill Self.
Jalen Hill scored 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting for the Sooners (12-13, 2-10 Big 12), who have lost seven straight conference games.
The game’s first 10 minutes or so marked a forgettable stretch for both teams. It included turnovers, scoring droughts and plenty of fouls.
Trailing by three (16-13) at the media timeout with 7:52 left in the half, KU responded with a 19-6 run. The Jayhawks closed the half with a 35-22 lead.
OU went on an 8-0 run to start the second half and shortly after cut KU’s lead to five points (37-32). Oklahoma wouldn’t get closer the rest of the way.
Next up: The Jayhawks will travel to Stillwater, Okla., on Tuesday to face Oklahoma State at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s game…
Ernest Udeh makes his presence felt early
Starting forward KJ Adams picked up his second foul with 16:39 left in the first half, and in came in backup big man Ernest Udeh Jr.
Immediately, Udeh made his impact felt on both ends of the court.
On offense, he set hard screens and crashed the offensive glass. On defense, he was even better.
He played excellent defense even when switched onto OU guards, boxed out and caused Oklahoma turnovers.
Udeh scored two points and grabbed four rebounds, including two offensive rebounds, in 13 first-half minutes alone. He also had one block and one steal in that time.
His stats didn’t do him justice — he did all the little things on the court. KU looked its best in the first half with Udeh on the floor.
Udeh finished the game with eight points on 4-for-4 shooting. He played 27 minutes.
KU thrives in transition off OU turnovers
Kansas’ offense struggled to start the game, but one thing worked for the Jayhawks all game: transition scoring.
KU finished with 17 fast-break points compared to OU’s 12.
The Jayhawks made it their mission to run off Oklahoma turnovers. The Sooners had 24 turnovers to KU’s 16. Kansas did an excellent job of cutting off passing lanes, walling up the paint and, when not getting a turnover, forcing OU to hold the ball, which led to shot clock violations.
Kansas had a 15-point advantage in points off turnovers (27-12).
Dajuan Harris remains aggressive
After Dajuan Harris scored 17 points on 8-for-16 shooting (a career-high in shot attempts) against the Texas Longhorns, Self talked about how much KU’s offense opens up when Harris is aggressive.
Harris remained that way on Saturday against the Sooners.
The point guard finished with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting. He also grabbed three rebounds, had three assists and three steals in 34 minutes.
From tip, Harris attacked OU defenders at the rim, even as KU’s offense struggled. His attacking mindset slowly paid off, forcing Oklahoma defenders not to give him space. In turn, it allowed his teammates some space and opportunities to get better shots off.
Harris’ 33 points in his last two games are the most he’s ever scored in a two-game college stretch. His previous high was 29.
