Fast recap: North Carolina blitzes Kansas in second half

Kansas allowed 58 second-half points after leading by 10 at halftime, falling to North Carolina xx-xx at the Smith Center on Friday night. The Jayhawks were outscored 58-37 in the second half.

The Jayhawks had no answers for the Tar Heels front court. Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar and star freshman Caleb Wilson combined for 44 points.

Kansas’ only consistent scorer was Darryn Peterson, who scored 22 points on 8/14 shooting. Bryson Tiller made four first half threes, but fouled out midway through the second half. The Jayhawks’ offense struggled for large stretches and turned the ball over 14 times. They were also out-rebounded 39-27.

First half: Tiller’s four threes sparks Kansas to first-half lead

North Carolina turned it over four times in the first five minutes, with Kansas scoring five points off turnovers early. Darryn Peterson had a steal and a layup, and Tre White followed his own steal with a three to put Kansas up 7-2. Henri Veesaar answered with a three of his own, but the Jayhawks led 9-7 at the first media timeout.

Each team’s star freshmen made their presence felt. Wilson threw down a dunk, which Peterson immediately answered with an and-one mid-range while heavily contested. Bryson Tiller knocked down a corner three to push Kansas’ lead to 18-13, as North Carolina went two minutes without scoring. The Jayhawks switched five, which created mismatches for Veesaar, but the Tar Heels struggled to get him the ball.

The game got sloppy, with both teams failing to knock down shots and racking up the fouls. Peterson picked up his second foul with 9:25 remaining in the first half. Kansas’ offense struggled without him on the floor, going on a scoreless drought of three minutes. However, the Jayhawks still held a 20-17 lead at the under-eight, as the Tar Heels endured a similar offensive slump.

North Carolina’s pressure bothered Kansas without having Peterson to go to. Wilson almost single-handedly forced a 10-second violation, and the Jayhawks didn’t score with Peterson on the bench. He checked back in with 6:56 to play in the first half.

Zayden High and Veesaar knocked down consecutive threes to put the Tar Heels ahead 25-22. Bill Self called a timeout as the Smith Center came to life.

Tiller sparked a 10-0 spurt, breaking nearly a six-minute field goal drought by knocking down a three. Shots from outside started to rain down for the Jayhawks. Peterson made a three off of a Melvin Council Jr. steal, and Tiller hit another shot from deep to give Kansas a 32-25 lead.

Tiller’s fourth three of the half pushed the Jayhawks’ lead to 10 as they eventually led 37-29 at the half. Kansas took advantage of 10 North Carolina turnovers, scoring 19 points.

Second half: North Carolina controls second half behind offensive explosion

North Carolina quickly cut into the deficit after Veesaar thred down back-to-back dunks to start the half. Seth Trimble followed with consecutive buckets in transition, and Self called a timeout as the Kansas lead dwindled to two in the first two minutes.

The Tar Heels cranked up the pace which gave the Jayhawks trouble. Kyan Evans momentarily gave North Carolina the lead, but Council answered with a layup to lead 43-42 at the first media timeout in the second half.

North Carolina continued to control the early portion of the second half. After Kohl Rosario tied the game with a three, Jarin Stevenson and Evans made consecutive threes to give North Carolina a 52-46 lead.

Kansas struggled to find any offense, going on a scoring drought of over three minutes. North Carolina went on a 12-0 run to grow its lead to double digits. Flory Bidunga broke the Jayhawk drought with a dunk off a post move.

Elmarko Jackson sparked Kansas’ offense, knocking down a three and a mid-range jumper. However, the Jayhawks struggled to string together stops to help them close the gap. North Carolina scored eight straight following Jackson’s mid-range, extending its lead to 70-56.

Peterson made up the bulk of the Jayhawks’ offense, making two threes. However, Kansas again failed to get stops to help get itself back into the game. North Carolina held a 81-68 lead at the under-four timeout.

North Carolina took possessions deep into the shot clock and limited Kansas’ offense from staging a late comeback.