Zeke Mayo leads way as Kansas snaps losing skid with 75-60 win over NC State

Shreyas Laddha, The Kansas City Star on Dec 14, 2024

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LAWRENCE, Kan. — Zeke Mayo put his hands up to his ears.

The Kansas guard signaled for the Allen Fieldhouse crowd to get louder after he scored at the rim, capping off a 6-0 run to force an N.C. State timeout.

After the whistle blew, Mayo celebrated with a Tiger Woods-esque fist pump, bellowing a roar that ignited the 15,300 onlookers. His play — all throughout a career afternoon — gave the Jayhawks the breathing room they needed to put the Wolfpack away.

No. 10 Kansas defeated N.C. State, 75-60, on Saturday afternoon. Mayo scored a Kansas career-high 26 points. KU big man Hunter Dickinson added 21 points and 14 rebounds.

The Jayhawks (8-2) improved to 13-1 all time vs. the Wolfpack.

Mayo and Dickinson were joined in the starting five by regulars Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams, as well as Rylan Griffen, who replaced David Coit following the loss at Missouri.

After scoring the first 15 points of the game — and leading 19-3 — the Jayhawks led 38-30 at the half. The Wolfpack wouldn’t get closer than seven points the rest of the way.

Up Next: The Jayhawks host Brown on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.

Until then, here are three takeaways from Saturday afternoon’s game ...

The Zeke Mayo show

After a stellar start to the season, Mayo had slowed down in recent games. He hadn’t scored more than 15 points since KU’s win over UNC on Nov. 11.

Well, Mayo erupted on Saturday. He had his best game yet in a Jayhawk uniform. When KU desperately needed buckets in the second half, he delivered. His 14 second-half points helped KU gain separation over N.C. State.

He finished with 26 points on 9-for-14 shooting, including 5-for-9 shooting on 3-pointers. In the process, he showed the level of play the Jayhawks will need from him in order to reach their championship aspirations.

Free-throw and foul issues

The Jayhawks have not been drawing enough free throws this season. Heading into Saturday, KU ranked No. 361 in free-throw rate — something coach Bill Self wanted his team to improve upon.

Those issues, however, persisted against N.C. State. The Wolfpack had an 11-1 advantage in free-throw attempts at halftime. North Carolina State went 6 of 11 at the line. KU, for the game, attempted seven foul shots.

On top of that, N.C. State put multiple KU bigs in foul trouble. Hunter Dickinson and Zach Clemence each had two fouls in the first half, while freshman Flory Bidunga had three.

KU’s foul trouble shifted the momentum and allowed the Wolfpack to cut into the Jayhawks’ big lead. And it was a problem all game.

Adams finished with four fouls, as did Flory Bidunga. Dickinson committed three (including a flagrant foul).

What’s up with AJ Storr?

There was plenty of hype surrounding transfer guard AJ Storr before the season’s start. The former Wisconsin guard averaged 16.8 points per game for the Badgers last season.

Well, he hasn’t looked anything close to that same player for the Jayhawks. Storr has shown flashes, but mostly, he’s appeared to overthink while lacking consistency.

His struggles continued on Saturday. Storr played six minutes in the first half, shooting 0 for 2 from the field. He didn’t record a single other counting stat.

He wasn’t much better in the second half, finishing with two points and two rebounds.

Self has mentioned that for KU to reach its ceiling, Storr needs to play better. The clock is ticking, as Kansas is just one game away from conference play.