No. 1 Kansas aims to continue stellar week vs. Manhattan

Top-ranked Kansas steamrolled its first opponent and coach Bill Self signed a contract that furthers his vow to finish his career at the school.

So it's already been a successful first week of the new season for the Jayhawks, who welcome Manhattan to Lawrence, Kan., on Friday night.

Self, now in his 21st season at Kansas, has racked up 566 victories and two national championships at the school.

The amended deal reportedly is worth $53 million over five seasons.

"There has never been a better time to be a part of our athletic department and this program," the 60-year-old Self said in the announcement. "My family and I are so proud to be at this university, and I am looking forward to many more seasons representing the most passionate fan base in the country. There's no place like Kansas."

On the floor, Kansas shot 69.6 percent from the field while blasting North Carolina Central 99-56 on Monday. The percentage was the highest since the Jayhawks shot 72.1 percent against Niagara on Jan. 9, 1997.

Big man Hunter Dickinson excelled in his Kansas debut with 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting. The Michigan transfer also collected eight rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots.

"The atmosphere was insane," Dickinson said. "I've been hearing about it during my recruiting, and when I committed, I was hearing so much about Allen Fieldhouse. It lived up to it."

The 7-foot-2 Dickinson averaged 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds and shot 57 percent from the field in three seasons with the Wolverines. He was a second-team All-American as a freshman during the 2020-21 season.

Forward Kevin McCullar Jr. also excelled with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. The point total is his highest in 35 games at Kansas after transferring from Texas Tech, where he played three seasons.

Nicolas Timberlake added 13 points and KJ Adams Jr. tallied 12 for the Jayhawks. Dajuan Harris Jr. had 10 assists, marking the fourth time he has reached double digits in his career.

Kansas and Manhattan (1-0) of Riverdale, N.Y., are meeting for the first time.

The Jaspers opened the season with a 61-59 road victory over Bryant on Monday in coach John Gallagher's debut at the school.

Gallagher spent 12 seasons at Hartford from 2010-22 before putting in his resignation before last season's opener, citing a dispute with the university over player safety and well-being.

Gallagher takes over a program that last finished above .500 in 2014-15. The Jaspers went 12-18 last season.

In the opener, Daniel Rouzan scored 16 points, Seydou Traore had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Brett Rumpel added 10 points.

Not only does Manhattan face Kansas, but Manhattan also visits defending national champion UConn on Nov. 24.

Swingman Logan Padgett told The Quadrangle, the student newspaper, that the Jaspers can compete with the two national powers.

"We're going there to win -- we're not backing down from anyone," Padgett said. "A lot of people don't think that we're going to be great this year, but I think those are two of the perfect games to prove we're actually here. We're going to earn our respect."