LAWRENCE, Kan. — The No. 9 UNC men’s basketball team (1-1) faced a tough defeat against the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks (2-0) on Friday night, losing 92-89 at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Tar Heels had a challenging first half, allowing Kansas to score 53 points, which put them at a disadvantage. However, the team made a commendable comeback in the second half, overcoming a 15-point halftime deficit to take the lead at one point. Ultimately, they were unable to maintain that momentum in the final minutes of the game.
North Carolina started strong with graduate guard RJ Davis contributing five points in the opening minutes. An impressive alley-oop from sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau to junior forward Jalen Washington gave the Tar Heels an early 7-2 advantage. However, the momentum shifted as a turnover by Cadeau allowed Kansas to capitalize and score easily, followed by a three-pointer from Rylan Griffen, which triggered a Kansas scoring spree.
Junior guard Seth Trimble managed to complete an and-1 play against Kansas center Hunter Dickinson, initially putting the Tar Heels ahead at 10-7. However, Dickinson quickly answered back with his own and-1 as Kansas began to build their lead.
As the first half progressed, despite a late rally that saw a free throw from Davis and a corner three from first-year guard Ian Jackson bringing UNC within one point at 17-16, Kansas countered with a 6-0 run. A three-pointer by Zeke Mayo further widened the gap, and the Tar Heels found themselves trailing 53-36 by halftime, despite efforts from head coach Hubert Davis to shake up the lineup, including appearances from graduate forward Ty Claude and first-year forward James Brown.
This game demonstrated the resilience of the Tar Heels, particularly in their second half performance. Fans can take hope from the team’s ability to come back against a strong opponent, which bodes well for future games. As they prepare for their next match, UNC will look to build on the positives from their early-season experiences and tighten their defense to improve their overall performance.