UCF led for more than 21 minutes, but the Jayhawks captured a narrow lead down the stretch. UCF had a chance to take the lead down one in the final seconds, but the Jayhawks got a stop. Adams and Mayo each sunk a pair of free throws in the last 10 seconds to secure the win.

The first Kansas men’s basketball game without Dajuan Harris Jr. in the lineup since March 7, 2020, featured some never-before-seen sets of five Jayhawks. As KU coach Bill Self searched for answers, there were groups without point guards.

Kansas basketball weathered terrible injury luck for chunks of last season and went into the NCAA Tournament without star player Kevin McCullar Jr. Needless to say, the campaign ended with a whimper.

For the Jayhawks, the answer is clear — his defender needs to get in his airspace on 3-pointers and recover if he fakes the shot to drive. It will be a big test for freshman Flory Bidunga, with KJ Adams out. The Knights will look to get revenge after the Jayhawks destroyed them by 51 — 99-48 — earlier in January.