North Carolina
Hunter Dickinson scores 21 as No. 1 Kansas routs North Carolina Central 99-56
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson had seven points, two rebounds and a block in the first 90 seconds of his Kansas career Monday night, then made a trio of 3-pointers that showed the 7-foot-2 transfer from Michigan is more than just a beast on the block.
Not surprisingly, his newfound fans inside Allen Fieldhouse responded with waves of adulation.
“I was telling somebody, ‘I’m used to the opposing fans being this loud and more boos than cheers,’” Dickinson said after leading the top-ranked Jayhawks to a 99-56 wipeout of North Carolina Central on college basketball’s opening night.
“It was real fun to have people on my side for once,” added Dickinson, whose decision to leave the Wolverines left angry fans in his wake. “The atmosphere was insane. I’ve been hearing about it during my recruiting, and when I committed, and I was hearing so much about Allen Fieldhouse. And it lived up to it.”
Dickinson lived up to the hype, too, finishing with 21 points, eight boards and five assists.
Nic Timberlake had 13 points, KJ Adams scored 12 and Dajuan Harris Jr. dished out 10 assists for the Jayhawks, who led 59-17 by halftime before coasting over the final 20 minutes to their 51st consecutive home-opening win.
Ja’Darius Harris had 12 points to lead the Eagles.
“We have 10 new guys who really, none of them have really played Division I basketball,” longtime NC Central coach LeVelle Moton said. “You play this type of game, you get their attention early.”
Any doubt about the outcome was gone midway through the first half, when the Jayhawks went on a 20-2 run to take a 40-11 lead. McCullar scored eight during the spurt, and transfer forward Parker Braun added a highlight ally-oop dunk.
“The first 25 minutes, that ball moved” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. “Seemed to me we got everything we wanted, even when we didn’t score.”
Dickinson had 17 points, seven boards and four assists by halftime; the Eagles had 18 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
“You have to pray, You have to go to church and get a strong service in,” Moton said of matching up with Dickinson. “He’s going to be a problem, and he’s not just going to be a problem for North Carolina Central. He’s going to be a problem for everyone.”
As impressive as the Jayhawks were offensively, piling up 34 assists on 39 field goals while shooting nearly 70% from the field, they were just as good on defense. NC Central was just 6 of 23 from 3 and shot 23% from the field.
“Coach has been on us pretty much every practice, just getting the defense right,” Timberlake said. “We came out storming.”
INJURY UPDATE
Kansas guard Johnny Furphy played with no limitations after dealing with shin splints during the preseason. Fellow freshman Jamari McDowell was not suited up after a minor injury in practice but should be back this week.
BIG PICTURE
NC Central will find life much easier in the MEAC, where the Eagles were picked to finish third this season.
Kansas had struggled in exhibitions against Illinois and Fort Hays State from beyond the 3-point line but went 13 of 23 against the Eagles. That included a 9-of-12 mark in the first half.
UP NEXT
NC Central plays Virginia-Lynchburg on Thursday night.
Kansas plays Manhattan on Friday night.
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North Carolina
Steve Belichick heads to North Carolina as defensive coordinator
In the 11 days since Bill Belichick officially became the head coach at North Carolina, not much information has surfaced about his coaching staff.
One big — and expected — piece fell into place today.
Via Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, Steve Belichick will become the defensive coordinator at UNC. He has spent 2024 as the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington.
During Bill’s courtship by the Tar Heels, reports and speculation emerged regarding an effort to create a succession plan that would make Steve the next head coach after Bill leaves. The contract negotiated and published by North Carolina makes no mention of that.
Still, if things go well and if Belichick remains until he’s ready to retire, he’ll be in position to make a strong case for family continuity. Especially if Bill is poised to become, essentially, coach emeritus of the program with Steve in charge.
North Carolina
Huskies DC Steve Belichick set to join father at North Carolina, per report
In unsurprising news, CBS Sports reported that Washington defensive coordinator Steve Belichick is set to follow his father, Bill, to North Carolina. It is the second lost to UNC for the Huskies after linebacker Khmori House pledged to the Tar Heels earlier this week.
Belichick’s defense was often the highlight for the Huskies throughout the regular season. Washington had the fifth-best pass defense in the nation, allowing just 166.8 yards per outing and 13 touchdowns on the year. It was an obvious strength for the Dawgs leading into the season and was pivotal in all six wins.
Belichick spent just one season on Montlake. He joined Jedd Fisch’s highly touted NFL experience-rich staff. He’ll continue that trend, once again joining forces with a man many consider the greatest NFL head coach of all time. Bill will lead a college program for the first time in his career.
Suddenly, North Carolina is an intriguing destination that the Huskies must be wary of after already losing House. USA Today college football reporter Matt Hayes said on X that UNC would increase its NIL package for football “from 4 million to $20 million in effort to land Belichick.”
On the surface, there isn’t much to fear about UNC on the gridiron. However, the sweet selection of uniforms, a sudden surplus of NIL funds, Power 4 residency and the opportunity to play under the Belichick duo could be very attractive to NFL hopefuls.
Fisch addressed the potential of having to replace Belichick earlier this month.
“If (Steve) joins (Bill) then we’ll have to hire a new defensive coordinator,” Fisch said. “If he stays here then we won’t have to hire a new defensive coordinator. I think they’re separate. Bill Belichick is not on our staff. Steve Belichick is on our staff. So, Bill will determine whether or not he wants to continue. He’s the greatest coach of all time. So, if he goes and coaches somewhere, then he’ll make a decision, and then Steve will make a decision and we’ll figure it out from there.”
As for what’s next on Montlake, our Luke Kemper has you covered.
Click HERE to view his DC replacement scenarios.
Click HERE to view his contingency plan.
North Carolina
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