Nick Krug

Kansas center Hunter Dickinson (1) spins toward the basket against Furman forward Garrett Hien (13) during the second half on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, at Allen Fieldhouse.

Wednesday’s big-man battle between 7-footers Hunter Dickinson of Kansas and Ryan Kalkbrenner of Creighton has been on the schedule for months, to the point that Bluejays coach Greg McDermott even included the matchup as part of Kalkbrenner’s announcement mentioned in May that he would return for a fifth college season.

“It’s going to be like two dinosaurs, him and Hunter, going against each other, because they’re probably two of the oldest guys in college basketball,” KU coach Bill Self said Monday, “and two are expected to be All-Americans.” ”

Already a reigning All-American, Dickinson has continued his form this year as one of the best centers in the country, although he has suffered a string of fewer games recently following his 28-point, 12-rebound performance in the Champions Classic. Kalkbrenner, meanwhile, is a three-time reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Year and is averaging 18.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and three blocks per game, including a career-high 49 points on 20-for-22 shooting in the season opener against UTRGV.

“Obviously he and I are probably two of the best bigs in the country, that’s the consensus, and that would be a fun matchup,” Dickinson said. “That’s kind of why you play the game.”

The matchup just needs to happen first.

Ahead of KU’s 7:30 p.m. date with Creighton at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska, on Wednesday, Kalkbrenner’s status is in doubt after he missed Creighton’s 80-76 win over Notre Dame in Las Vegas because of a lower-body injury. This game capped off a one-two finish at the Players Era Festival tournament. McDermott did not provide reporters with an injury update on Monday.

“Playing so many games in a row can definitely be stressful, especially with a 7-foot frame,” Dickinson said. “I can speak for that with certainty.”

AP Photo/Ian Maule

Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11) shoots against San Diego State forward Miles Heide (40) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Las Vegas.

The Bluejays fell out of the AP Top 25 after those losses, their second and third of the season against San Diego State and Texas A&M. But the victory over the Irish certainly shows that they can score points beyond Kalkbrenner.

In senior guard Steven Ashworth, they have “as good a shooter as we have in the country,” Self said, and they’re working with him along with dangerous transfer guards Jamiya Neal and Pop Isaacs in a three-guard lineup the likes of which KU rarely sees has seen this season. All three score in double figures, with Creighton shooting just 31.4% from distance.

“It’s well below what they can shoot, and they shoot a lot of it,” Self said.

Even though the early-season performance took some of the shine off Creighton and actually gave KU some shine, Self said KU’s performance on Wednesday and Sunday – at Creighton and at Missouri in its first back-to-back non-conference road games since 2019 – will be the will be a true litmus test for the Jayhawks’ starting roster.

“Because the way you perform away from home is the real indicator of how well you actually play,” he said.

Creighton Bluejays (5-3) vs. No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks (6-0)

• CHI Health Center, Omaha, Nebraska, 7:30 p.m

• Transmitted: FS1

• radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (in Lawrence, KLWN AM 1320 / K269GB FM 101.7 / KMXN FM 92.9)

Keep an eye out

Defensive progress: There was reason to be cautious about the Jayhawks’ defensive prospects heading into this season, as KU imported a number of transfers, some of whom hadn’t performed particularly well defensively at their previous schools. But the fact that the Jayhawks held previously unbeaten Furman to 51 points on sub-30% shooting was the latest in a string of competent defensive performances. Dajuan Harris Jr. and KJ Adams are reaching their full potential in that regard, while players like Northern Illinois transfer David Coit have exceeded expectations. Dickinson said defense will always be the focus, both because of Self’s philosophy and because the team already knew it had plenty of scorers. Self said, “I think there’s a sense that there’s a better understanding and that we’re doing a better job in that regard and not allowing people to really do what they want to do rhythm-wise.”

Familiar face: If the name Isaacs sounds familiar, it’s because the 6-foot-1 guard has done damage to KU before. The former third-team All-Big 12 selection scored double-digit points in two games for Texas Tech against the Jayhawks in his first season in 2022-23. He was one of the few Red Raiders back then who didn’t shine in Tech’s game against KU when they beat the Jayhawks at United Supermarkets Arena last season.

Statistics lie: KU is currently second nationally with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.12, just behind Gonzaga, a concrete example of how smooth and efficient its passing game has been so far this year. But Self said he would actually like slightly more moderate assist numbers offset by trips to the free throw line. “Because if you get a lot of assists, that probably means you can move the ball and your body well,” he said, “but you score from the catch, and to get to the free throw line you have to be able to do that .” to drive it.”

Observation out of balance

Kalkbrenner missed the game due to a knee injury the last time KU played Creighton in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, which was held in Fort Worth, Texas. He was previously available in a one-point win for the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on December 8, 2020.

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Written by Henry Greenstein

Henry is a sports editor at the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com and serves as a KU beat writer while managing daily sports coverage. He previously worked as a sports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (BA, Linguistics) and Arizona State University (MA, Sports Journalism). Despite being from Los Angeles, he’s often been told that he doesn’t give off “California vibes,” whatever that means.

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