Furman Set For Stern Challege at Top-Ranked Kansas

 

Furman guard Alex Hunter vs. Villanova in 2017

Overview: Fresh off its 61-56 win over Seattle Wednesday night, the Furman basketball team returns to action Saturday evening when the Paladins do battle with top-ranked Kansas.

The Paladins have already faced current No. 2 Auburn, having dropped what was an 83-62 decision back on Oct. 27 in a charity exhibition game to benefit Cleveland Park in downtown Greenville as a part of a Hurricane Relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which hit the Upstate of South Carolina and western North Carolina a month prior to exhibition matchup.

Auburn recently polished off wins over No. 5 Iowa State, No. North Carolina and Memphis to become just the third SEC member to win the Maui Invitational, joining Kentucky (1993) and Vanderbilt (1986).

While the Tigers were getting work done at the Lahaina Civic Center on the Big Island, the Kansas Jayhawks were busy going “all-in” in the Vegas Showdown against No. 11 Duke, knocking off the Blue Devils, 75-72, Tuesday night, despite having to play the final 10 minutes of the contest without Hunter Dickinson, who was ejected as the result of a flagrant 2 foul on Duke’s Maliq Brown. The 7-2 center is a candidate for the James Naismith and John Wooden Awards in the preseason along with Auburn’s big man Johnni Broome.

It is believed to be the first time the Furman Basketball program will have ever played the top two programs in college basketball at any point within the same season.

When Furman takes on Kansas Saturday evening at Allen Fieldhouse, it will mark just the second all-time clash between the two programs with the only other meeting coming on Dec. 20, 1993, with the Jayhawks getting what was a 101-60. The Paladins game against Seattle was preceded by the highly publicized clash between the Jayhawks and Blue Devils.

Kansas is one of college’s blueblood basketball programs, having won 2,399 games in its history, which is the second most among NCAA Division I men’s basketball programs. Only Kentucky, which has claimed 2,404 all-time wins in its history, has won more total games than the Jayhawks program.

The Jayhawks have won six national titles, with the latest of those national championships they have won coming in 2022. The five other titles have come in 2008, 1988, ’52, ’23, and ’22. Interestingly, Furman’s football program and the Kansas basketball program share the title-winning year of 1988, with the Paladins football team knocking off Georgia Southern, 17-12, in the Division I-AA National Championship game in Pocatello, ID to claim the program’s greatest athletic achievement.

Some eight months prior to Furman’s magical moment in Pocatello, Kansas cut down the nets as NCAA Division I National Champion for fourth time in its storied history, knocking off then Big Eight rival Oklahoma, 83-79, in Kemper Arena in Kansas City, MO.

The Kansas basketball program is one that is as synonymous with college basketball and success. The program is literally responsible for inventing the game as we know it through Dr. James Naismith.

Furman defeated defending national champion and No. 6 Villanova (W, 76-68 OT) in Bob Richey’s first season at the helm, and is without question Furman’s biggest regular-season win in now his eighth season as the leading man of the Furman program.

Previewing The Jayhawks:

Kansas comes into the contest with a perfect 6-0 mark to the start the season and is the No. 1 team in college basketball. Furman and Kansas are two of 23 teams currently that are undefeated in college basketball, and the Jayhawks sport an impressive 157-6 record against non-conference opponents at Allen Fieldhouse under current head coach Bill Self. Kansas is not unlike Ole Miss’s Football team, which Furman faced to open its football season, as the Jayhawks, like the football Rebels, have the highest paid roster of NIL players in college basketball.

As a team, Kansas averages 82.2 PPG, while surrendering 68.3 PPG to opponents this season. Kansas is led by one of the top big men in all of college basketball, with 7-2 Hunter Dickinson (16.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 1.5  BPG), who returns to the team after having missed the last 10 minutes of the game against Duke after Dickinson was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul. Dickinson is shooting 53.9% from the field so far this season.

Dickinson is a consensus two-time All-American at two different schools, having been selected with that distinction at both Kansas and Michigan, as well as being named a Wooden All-American at both schools. Dickenson has had a pair of 20-point scoring efforts this season. Dickinson registered his best performance of the season against his old rival from his time as a Michigan Wolverine, as he posted 28 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and a block in what was a 77-69 win over Michigan State.

He was 13-of-21 from the field and was 1-for-1 from long range. Dickinson also posted a 20-point effort in the Jayhawks’ thrilling win over North Carolina. In the Jayhawks four-point NCAA Tournament win over Samford last March, Dickinson scored 19 points and recorded a ridiculous 20 rebounds. It was one of four 20-rebound games for Kansas, with his career-high being 21 against Kentucky last season. Dickinson is the current active career leader in NCAA Division I College Basketball in scoring (2,308 pts) and field goals made (931).

Set to join Dickinson is veteran senior power forward KJ Adams (8.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG). Adams is the ultimate “glue guy” for the Jayhawks and he’s one of the most experienced players in all of college basketball. Adams was an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection and the 6-7, 235-lb native of Austin, TX, and is an excellent defensive performer, as well as being one of the team’s best athletes. Adams has a pair of double-figure scoring efforts this season, including having posted 14 points against North Carolina, while posting 12 points against Oakland. He’s shooting 55.3% from the field this season. He had one of his best games at Kansas against Samford in last season’s NCAA Tournament, posting 20 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field to go with six assists in the 93-89 win over the Bulldogs.

The Jayhawks feature of trio of talented guards, in AJ Storr (9.7 PPG, 1.8 APG, 47.1% from 3pt land), DaJuan Harris Jr. (10.0 PPG, 5.8 APG) and Zeke Mayo (12.5 PPG, 3.3 APG) which are a big reason why the Jayhawks are so highly thought of this season, and are one the primary favorites to cut do wn the nets in San Antonio in early April. Storr entered the NBA Draft following the 2023-24 season after playing one season at Wisconsin after transferring in from St. John’s. In his career with the Red Storm, Badgers and Jayhawks, Storr has played 75 games and has made a total of 54 starts in his career.

Storr has three double-figure scoring performances this season, which includes an 11-point effort the last time he took the floor against Duke. His best performance of the season came against Oakland, posting a 16-point performance in the win over the Golden Grizzlies. Storr also posted an impressive 13-point effort on a 6-of-13 shooting performance, which included a 1-of-3 effort from three-point range in the win. Storr has been an excellent shooter from three-point range so far this season, having connected on 8-of-17 from three-point land (47.1%) from long-range this season. For his career, Storr is shooting an impressive 36.0% (94-of-261) from three-point range.

Harris is a graduate senior and the player that really stirs the drink offensively for the Jayhawks running things at the point guard position. The Columbia, MO., native will be playing in his 147^th game Saturday evening, which will include making his 118^th-career start for the Jayhawks on Saturday evening. Harris has taken a bit more of the scoring initiative for the Jayhawks this season and has four double-figure scoring efforts for KU this season, which includes having scored double figures in each of the past two games against UNC Wilmington and Duke.

Harris posted 17 points in the 84-66 win over the Seahawks and finished with 14 points the last time out against Duke. Harris connected on 6-of-10 shots from the field, including going 1-for-2 from three-point land, as well as dishing out an impressive and season-high nine assists in the 75-72 win over Duke. It could be argued that Harris Jr. was KU’s best player against the Blue Devils. Harris Jr. is also an excellent defensive guard and was a Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection last season.

Mayo is a 6-4, 185-lb wing guard that is a native of Lawrence, transferring back to play for his hometown Jayhawks after spending the previous three previous seasons at South Dakota State. Mayo will be familiar with Furman assistant coach Khyle Marshall, who spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach with the Jackrabbits. Marshall is familiar with just how good a player Mayo is. The 6-4 guard is athletic and posted an outstanding career with the Jackrabbits before coming back home to play for KU.

Mayo was a two-time All-Summit League selection and finished out the 2023-24 season as the Summit League’s Player of the Year. Last season, he led the Summitt League in three-point field goal percentage, connecting on 39.1% of his long-range efforts, while knocking down almost three three-pointers per game (2.6). He finished the season with a league-leading 92 trifectas and for his career, Mayo is connecting on an impressive 38.5% (242-of-628) from long range. He’s shooting a bit under that this season, as he comes in having made 33.3% (11-of-33) from long range this season. Mayo has finished in double figures in four out of six games for the Jayhawks this season, which includes a season-high 21 points in the thrilling 92-89 win over the Tar Heels. Two years ago, Mayo recorded a career-high 41 points against South Dakota State’s biggest rival, North Dakota State, as the Jackrabbits captured a thrilling 90-85 win.

One of the primary reasons the Jayhawks find themselves a big favorite to capture a national title this season is the fact that KU has such a deep bench, with plenty of portal talent to put on the floor if needed. Wing guard Rylan Griffin (8.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG) has been a key addition from the University of Alabama this season, as has senior backup point guard David Coit (5.0 PPG, 1.8 RPG), as he joined the Jayhawks after transferring in from Northern Illinois. One of the more exciting players to keep an eye on this season is 6-9 freshman forward Flory Bidunga (8.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG), who is an explosive leaper.

Current and Former SoCon Foes since 1980 vs. Kansas:               Last Game:                   Record: (1-18)

Appalachian State (0-1)                                                                                                                                                        L, 73-62/Dec. 7, 1987

Chattanooga (0-3)                                                                                                                                                                L, 55-69/Nov. 15, 2012

The Citadel (0-1)                                                                                                                                                                   L, 71-74/Dec. 22, 1986

Furman  (0-1)                                                                                                                                                                         L, 60-101/Dec. 20, 1993

East Tennessee State (0-4)                                                                                                                                                  L, 63-75/Nov. 15, 2019

Davidson (*1-1 vs. KU as SoCon member)                                                                                                                         W, 80-74/Dec. 17, 2011 (game played in Kansas City, MO)

UNC Greensboro (0-2)                                                                                                                                                         L, 62-74/Nov. 8, 2019

Western Carolina (0-3***one game in Cullowhee)                                                                             L, 63-68/Dec. 3, 1987 (at Ramsey Center in Cullowhee)

Wofford (0-1)                                                                                                                                                                          L, 47-72/Dec. 4, 2018

Samford (0-1)                                                                                                                                                                        L, 89-93/Mar. 21, 2024 (NCAA Tournament 1^st Rd/Salt Lake City, UT)