Kansas vs. North Carolina score, takeaways: Jayhawks blow 20-point lead but emerge victorious in top-10 tilt

Jayhawks coach Bill Self ties legendary coach Phog Allen for most program wins in history with victory vs. Tar Heels

No. 1 Kansas survived a furious second-half surge from No. 9 North Carolina to record a 92-89 win on Friday at Allen Fieldhouse in one of the biggest early games of the 2024-25 season. The Jayhawks led by as many as 20 points in the final minute of the first half before North Carolina came all the way back to take a late lead.

Kansas star big man Hunter Dickinson scored a go-ahead bucket with 1:07 remaining and knocked down a key free throw with 12 seconds remaining to secure a significant win for the Jayhawks' résumé. North Carolina guard Elliot Cadeau missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that could've sent the game to overtime.

The victory over North Carolina gave coach Bill Self career win No. 590 as Kansas' coach, which ties him with former legendary KU coach Phog Allen for the most wins in program history. 

Dickinson finished with 20 points in the win, while South Dakota State transfer Zeke Mayo scored 21 points off the bench.

CBS Sports was here throughout the night with updates, analysis and highlights from the game. Read on below for takeaways from Kansas vs. North Carolina. 

[Nov 8, 2024 at 9:28 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Heels have struggled at times in first two games

In UNC's season-opener against Elon, the Tar Heels trailed with less than seven minutes remaining before going on a late run to pull away for good. The Tar Heels looked sluggish in the first half against Kansas before flipping the switch to erase a 20-point deficit. Life without All-American Armando Bacot in the middle has been noticeable. UNC's interior defense allowed 50 points in the paint and allowed 12 offensive rebounds. It's hard to have any definitive takes after two games, but some concerns about UNC may carry over to the remainder of the season.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 9:25 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Kansas' depth was key in win

AJ Storr, Zeke Mayo and Flory Bidunga all have come off the bench during the first two games of the season for Self. All three players would likely be starters on most other teams in the country. One of the biggest issues for Kansas down the stretch last season — and why the Jayhawks exited the NCAA Tournament early — was depth. It became apparent this offseason that for Kansas to live up to its preseason No. 1 billing, the bench would need more depth. Storr, Mayo and Bidunga all played a key role in their own way to knock off UNC. Mayo scored 21 points off the bench. Storr scored 13 points in 28 minutes and Bidunga recorded eight points, eight rebounds, and a block in only 11 minutes. Despite the late surge from UNC, Kansas left no doubt who should be No. 1 when the AP Top 25 poll comes out on Monday.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 9:21 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Bill Self records a milestone win

Self recorded career win No. 590 as the head coach at Kansas on Friday, which tied him with former legendary KU coach Phog Allen for the most wins in program history. Self has a career record of 590-143 in 22 seasons at the school, while Allen won the same amount of games in 39 seasons. Coming into the season, Self was second on the all-time win list ahead of Roy Williams — who coached at Kansas and North Carolina during his career. Self will become the all-time wins leader at the school with a win over Michigan State on Tuesday in the Champions Classic.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 9:20 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Kansas wins a thriller

FINAL: No. 1 Kansas 92, No. 9 North Carolina 89

No. 1 Kansas survived a furious second-half surge from No. 9 North Carolina to record a 92-89 win on Friday at Allen Fieldhouse in one of the biggest games of the early 2024-25 season. The Jayhawks led by as many as 20 points in the final minute of the first half before North Carolina came all the way back to take a late lead.

Kansas star big man Hunter Dickinson scored a go-ahead bucket with 1:07 remaining and knocked down a key free throw with 12 seconds remaining to secure a marquee win for the Jayhawks' résumé. North Carolina guard Elliot Cadeau missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would've sent the game to overtime.

The victory over North Carolina gave coach Bill Self career win No. 590 as Kansas' coach, which ties him with former legendary KU coach Phog Allen for the most wins in program history. 

Dickinson finished with 20 points in the win, while South Dakota State transfer Zeke Mayo scored 21 points off the bench.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 9:15 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

This game is coming down to the wire

LATE 2H: No. 1 Kansas 91, No. 9 North Carolina 89

Dickinson just scored a go-ahead basket with 1:07 left to give Kansas the lead back. This has been an incredible game.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 9:07 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Dickinson picks up fourth foul

LATE 2H: No. 9 North Carolina 86, No. 1 Kansas 83

Kansas could be in trouble. Dickinson just picked up his fourth foul with 3:28 remaining. Kansas has missed six of its last seven shot attempts down the stretch and North Carolina has all the momentum.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 8:57 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

North Carolina has come all the way back

MID 2H: No. 9 North Carolina 84, No. 1 Kansas 81

After trailing by 20 points, North Carolina took its first lead since the opening minutes of the first half after Jae'Lyn Withers scored with 7:09 left. Kansas PG Dajuan Harris responded on the other end with a floater to take the lead back. We are due for a fantastic finish from Lawrence, Kansas, after it looked like the home team was going to run away from this one.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 8:51 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

North Carolina is heating up

MID 2H: No. 1 Kansas 77, No. 9 North Carolina 75

Kansas led by as many as 20 points in the first half. With 8:49 remaining, that lead has been trimmed to a single possession. North Carolina is doing an excellent job of getting to the foul line. The Tar Heels are 25 of 27 from the charity stripe, while Kansas is 7 of 11. Grab your popcorn because we are in for a fantastic finish.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 8:39 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

North Carolina keeps cutting into the deficit

EARLY 2H: No. 1 Kansas 72, No. 9 North Carolina 63

North Carolina cut the lead down to seven points before Mayo responded on the other end with a jumper. Mayo has 17 points off the bench for the Jayhawks, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him in the closing lineup down the stretch. He's been Kansas' best offensive player tonight. 

[Nov 8, 2024 at 8:27 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Good start for UNC

EARLY 2H: No. 1 Kansas 57, No. 9 North Carolina 48

Really good start for North Carolina to open up the second half. The Tar Heels are currently on a 14-4 run, and Kansas' lead has been cut to single digits. Davis is up to 13 points, while Seth Trimble has 10.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 8:21 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Second half underway 

Dickinson and Davis traded baskets to open up the second half. Let's see if UNC can cut away at the deficit before this game gets out of hand.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 8:03 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Kansas in control at halftime

HALF: No. 1 Kansas 53, No. 9 North Carolina 38

No. 1 Kansas leads No. 9 North Carolina 53-38 at halftime behind a balanced scoring attack and a dominant paint presence. Six different Kansas players scored at least six points before the intermission. The Jayhawks have 30 points in the paint as a team, and UNC has had no answers for Hunter Dickinson and KJ Adams Jr.

Adams scored a team-high 14 points, while Zeke Mayo scored 10 off the bench. Mayo, the South Dakota State transfer, knocked down two deep 3-pointers during the Jayhawks big run before halftime.

North Carolina guard Elliot Cadeau has a team-high nine points, while star guard RJ Davis has eight. Davis started out hot with five quick points but finished the first half by shooting 1 of 8 from the floor. Five-star freshman Ian Jackson scored eight points off the bench.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 7:47 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Balanced scoring attack pacing Kansas

LATE 1H: No. 1 Kansas 43, No. 9 North Carolina 29

The difference in the first 16 minutes of this game is Kansas' depth and presence in the paint. Five different players have scored more than six points, and the Jayhawks have 24 points in the paint. Depth was an issue on last year's Kansas team, so this is a fantastic development if you're a fan of the home team.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 7:34 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Kansas extends its lead to 11

MID 1H: No. 1 Kansas 33, No. 9 North Carolina 22

Kansas is currently on a 14-4 run over the last 3:18. The Jayhawks have their largest lead because of the spark Zeke Mayo brought off the bench. The South Dakota State transfer has eight points and knocked down two 3-pointers from well beyond the arc to get the crowd into it.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 7:24 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

KJ Adams Jr. has been the difference

Early 1H: No. 1 Kansas 27, No. 9 North Carolina 20

Have yourself a night, Mr. Adams. The Kansas star forward has made five of his first six attempts from the floor and has a game-high 10 points. The Jayhawks have made their last five field goal attempts.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 7:18 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Kansas on a run

Early 1H: No. 1 Kansas 17, No. 9 North Carolina 12

Kansas is on an 8-0 run thanks to timely buckets by Adams and Griffen. The Jayhawks have made their last four field goal attempts out of the media timeout.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 7:10 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

RJ Davis is cooking early

Early 1H: No. 9 North Carolina 9, No. 1 Kansas 7

For North Carolina to win this game on the road in a hostile environment, RJ Davis will have to be the best player on the floor. The All-American guard has five quick points, but Kansas responded with buckets from KJ Adams Jr. and Rylan Griffen.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 7:05 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Here we go!

North Carolina wins the tip and we are underway from Lawrence, Kansas.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 6:59 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Starters for both teams

Kansas

• G: Dajuan Harris Jr.
• G: Rylan Griffen
• G: David Coit
• F: KJ Adams Jr.
• C: Hunter Dickinson

North Carolina 

• G: Elliot Cadeau
• G: RJ Davis
• G: Seth Trimble
• F: Jalen Washington 
• F: Jae'Lyn Withers

[Nov 8, 2024 at 6:30 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

UNC vs. Kansas is one of the best games of the season

Have mercy this one should be good. The best team in college basketball welcomes a fellow blueblood in a Friday night primetime tilt in historic Allen Fieldhouse. UNC star RJ Davis takes on the Jayhawks rebuilt backcourt and KU star Hunter Dickinson faces a Tar Heels team that probably won't have a ton of answers for him down low with Armando Bacot gone. This one is a 7 p.m. ET tip on ESPN2.

Top early-season college basketball games: UNC vs. Kansas among can't-miss matchups in November and December

Kyle Boone

[Nov 8, 2024 at 6:15 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Players to watch for Kansas

Hunter Dickinson: The preseason All-American recorded 16 points, six rebounds and an assist in the blowout win over Howard earlier this week. The key matchup of the night will be Dickinson vs. UNC's bigs.

Zeke Mayo: Mayo came off the bench and scored a game-high 19 points against Howard. The South Dakota State transfer could be the perfect spark plug off the bench Kansas needs to win this game at home.

Flory Bidunga: Bidunga came off the bench for No. 1 Kansas and scored 13 points in 17 minutes of play. Bidunga knocked down all six field goal attempts and added eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.

Tracking college basketball freshman debuts: How Cooper Flagg and other five-star recruits did in first game

Cameron Salerno

[Nov 8, 2024 at 5:45 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Players to watch for North Carolina

RJ Davis: He's the head of the snake for North Carolina. The preseason All-American will need to have a signature performance in order for his team to pull off the upset.

Elliot Cadeau: UNC's second-year point guard showed flashes of his five-star billing as a freshman. Cadeau is an elite passer and it appears he's improved on his 3-point shot that was lackluster last season.

Ian Jackson: UNC's five-star freshman played 12 minutes off the bench in the 90-76 win over Elon earlier this week. He scored five points on 2 of 7 shooting and grabbed a rebound.

[Nov 8, 2024 at 5:15 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Kansas vs. North Carolina prediction

North Carolina, an 8-point underdog according to the latest odds from DraftKings, looked vulnerable in its season-opener against Elon, but it's too early to panic about the Tar Hels not being a consensus top-10 team in the sport. Cadeau was a player who was a potential breakout candidate, and he will be the X-Factor against Kansas. North Carolina should keep this game close, but the hostile environment inside Allen Fieldhouse will be the difference. Pick: North Carolina +8

Kansas vs. UNC live stream, where to watch, TV channel, odds, spread, prediction, pick

Cameron Salerno