Sophomore point guard Devon Dotson posted 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists Friday as No. 3 Kansas overcame a sluggish start to upend UNC Greensboro 74-62 at Lawrence, Kan.
Dotson was coming off a Champions Classic defeat in which he led the Jayhawks (1-1) in scoring but had six turnovers and one assist against Duke. He had one turnover against the Spartans (1-1).
Kansas led by as many as 21 and claimed its 47th win in a home opener, while extending its homecourt winning streak to 22 games. Bill Self, in his 17th season as coach, stands 94-13 coming off a defeat.
Senior center Udoka Azubuike added 10 points and 10 rebounds, his eighth career double-double, after missing all but nine games last season with an injured wrist.
Iowa transfer Isaiah Moss, who sat out the season opener with a strained hamstring, made his Kansas debut and added eight points. Sophomore guard Ochai Agbaji netted 13 points and junior guard Marcus Garrett scored 10.
UNCG, which claimed a school-record 29 wins last season and was picked second in the Southern Conference, succumbed to a 12-2 run by Kansas to begin the second half.
Junior guard Isaiah Miller, the preseason SoCon player of the year, led the Spartans with 19 points but scored just two in the second half. Sophomore guard Kaleb Hunter added 17.
Both teams struggled to find much rhythm offensively in the first half before Kansas settled for a 36-32 lead at halftime behind 14 points from Dotson.
Dotson scored the Jayhawks' last seven points of the half. Garrett added eight points after making two early 3-pointers.
UNCG never trailed by more than six in the first half behind 17 points from Miller. The Spartans shot just 38.7 percent for the game.
Sophomore forward Mohammed Abdulsalam played for UNCG, though he was considered questionable with a knee injury.
Five-star recruit Bryce Thompson attended the game on an unofficial visit. The 6-foot-5 guard from Tulsa, Okla., is scheduled to decide Tuesday between Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and North Carolina.
--Field Level Media
NC-Greensboro | Kansas | |
Isaiah Miller 19 | Scoring | Devon Dotson 22 |
James Dickey 3 | Assists | Devon Dotson 6 |
Kaleb Hunter 12 | Rebounds | Udoka Azubuike 10 |
Isaiah Miller 3 | Free Throws Made | Devon Dotson 8 |
Kaleb Hunter 2 | Steals | Ochai Agbaji 2 |
James Dickey 1 | Blocks | Silvio De Sousa 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
NC-Greensboro | 62 | 38.7 | 8-31 | 6-13 | 11 | 32 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
Kansas | 74 | 45.8 | 10-26 | 10-19 | 15 | 40 | 2 | 5 | 10 |