LAWRENCE, Kan. _ Kansas remains near-invincible on opening night at Allen Fieldhouse.
Thanks in large part to senior guard Lagerald Vick's career-high 32-point performance, the No. 2-ranked Jayhawks (2-0) stopped unranked, mid-major Vermont (1-1), 84-68, on Monday night for their 46th consecutive home-opening victory in the Jayhawks' tradition-rich building.
Vick hit eight 3s in as many tries and 12 of 14 shots overall as KU cashed 12 of 19 treys to Vermont's 9 of 26. Vick's 8 of 8 threes are the most 3s without a miss in a game in KU program history. Ben McLemore was 6 for 6 versus Iowa State in 2013.
Udoka Azubuike contributed 23 points and 11 rebounds and Quentin Grimes added 10 points and 10 assists as KU improved to 63-1 all-time in home openers at Allen Fieldhouse.
Anthony Lamb scored 24 points and Ernie Duncan 17 for a Vermont team that exactly one year ago lost to Kentucky by just four points at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
Vick scored 16 points and Azubuike 12 the first half in helping the Jayhawks to a hard-earned, 40-36, lead at the break. Azubuike was 6-of-10 shooting in the half with six rebounds. Vick was 6-of-7 shooting and 4-of-4 from 3.
Vick also scored 11 points in a 15-5 run that gave KU a 59-45 lead at 10:59.
Vermont, which hit 6 of 15 3-pointers in the first half to KU's 5 of 10, was led by Lamb's 12 points. Stef Smith had 11 and Duncan 10. Grimes had five assists in the first 20 minutes for KU.
Vick hit a pair of 3-pointers and the Jayhawks led, 6-0, less than a minute into the game. However, Vermont used a 16-2 run to grab a 16-8 lead at 16:02. Duncan scored eight points and Smith six in the run.
Down 18-10, KU used a 7-0 run to cut the gap to a point at 12:21. Vick had five points and Marcus Garrett two in that surge.
However, Vermont's 8-1 answer gave the Catamounts a 26-18 lead at 9:26. KU used a 13-4 run to finally regain the lead, 31-30, at 4:11 left in the first half. Azubuike scored six points and Vick five in the run.
Vermont led, 36-33, with 2:11 left in the half. However, KU closed on a 7-0 run to grab its four-point lead at intermission. Azubuike had an inside bucket, Grimes a three and a bucket at 31 seconds. Charlie Moore's half-court shot at the buzzer barely missed but KU was up, 40-36.
