Dedric Lawson had 24 points, eight in overtime, and freshman Devon Dotson added 17 points as No. 2 Kansas made a case for returning to the top of the polls with an 87-81 victory over No. 5 Tennessee in the finals of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Arena in Brooklyn on Friday.

Dotson followed a Lawson tip-in with a three-point play as the Jayhawks scored the first five points in overtime for a 74-69 lead and never trailed while winning their 14th straight game against an AP Top 10 team.

Admiral Schofield scored nine of his 21 points in overtime, and Grant Williams had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists before fouling out with 1:24 left in regulation, but the Volunteers never had the ball with a chance to tie after the Jayhawks' quick start.

Kansas (5-0) was No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 before dropping behind Duke the last two weeks. No. 3 Gonzaga, which beat Duke earlier this week, also could take over the top spot.

Jordan Bone had 16 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Lamonte Turner and Kyle Alexander had 10 apiece for the Volunteers (4-1).

Lawson, a transfer from Memphis who sat out last season, had 50 points and 25 rebounds in the tournament. He has three double-doubles this season, and Lagerald Vick had 15 points for the Jayhawks.

Kansas shot 50 percent from the floor, had a 43-40 rebounding edge and made 22 of 34 free throws. Tennessee shot 41.3 percent from the field and went 12 of 17 from the foul line.

There were four lead changes and two ties in the final three minutes of regulation.

Schofield's 3-pointer gave the Vols a 69-67 lead before Charlie Moore hit two free throws with 1:24 remaining. Kansas had the last two shots in regulation but could not score.

--Field Level Media