BOULDER, CO – Hunter Dickinson delivered a season-high performance, scoring 32 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, propelling the Kansas Jayhawks to a 71-64 victory over the Colorado Buffaloes on Monday night. The win comes at a crucial time for Kansas, who recently fell out of the AP Top 25 after a shaky stretch of games.
Dickinson’s dominant performance saw him convert 13 of 18 field goal attempts and 6 of 10 free throws. His 12th double-double of the season proved vital for the Jayhawks (19-9, 10-7 Big 12 Conference), especially on the glass.
“If it weren’t for Hunter we would have been annihilated on the glass,” Kansas head coach Bill Self stated, praising Dickinson’s “All-American” caliber play.
KJ Adams contributed 15 points, and Rylan Griffen added 10 for the Jayhawks. Despite only trailing for a mere 20 seconds throughout the game, Kansas faced a persistent Colorado team that refused to back down.
Bangot Dak led the Buffaloes (11-17, 2-15) with 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting, while Julian Hammond III scored 11. The Buffaloes briefly took a 39-38 lead early in the second half, but Dickinson quickly responded, regaining the lead for Kansas.
The Buffaloes managed to tie the game twice and pulled within two points late in the game, but Kansas maintained their composure, securing the victory.
With this win, Kansas moves a half-game behind 25th-ranked BYU for fifth place in the conference with three games remaining in the regular season. The Jayhawks have now won three consecutive games and boast a 22-1 record in their last 23 meetings against Colorado, leading the all-time series 126-40.
Looking ahead, Kansas will face a tough challenge as they host No. 10 Texas Tech on Saturday. Meanwhile, Colorado will travel to face Kansas State on Sunday.
