photo by: AP Photo/Marco Garcia

Chaminade guard Ross Reeves (11) goes to the net against Kansas center Hunter Dickinson (1) and guard Dajuan Harris Jr. (3) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu.

Honolulu — Some of the biggest challenges of Kansas’ entire 2023-24 campaign will come in the second and third rounds of the Maui Invitational Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Jayhawks first had to ensure they could make it to those tough matchups unscathed, however, and they followed through by beating host Chaminade 83-56 Monday evening at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center to improve to 4-0 on the year.

It wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for KU, which saw its lead narrow to as few as five points in the first half, but managed a few second-half runs to make the margin somewhat more fitting for the No. 1 team in the country facing a Division II foe.

In an improbable statistical feat, Kevin McCullar Jr. tallied a triple-double for the second game in a row with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Center Hunter Dickinson backed him up with a whopping 31 points and 11 rebounds. That was practically all the Jayhawks needed, as they didn’t get much from their bench Monday night.

Wyatt Lowell, Ross Reeves and Jamir Thomas had 12 points apiece for the Silverswords, who went 6-for-30 from beyond the arc.

Forward KJ Adams Jr. rejoined the Jayhawks Monday afternoon just over two hours before tipoff. Adams’ mother, Yvonne, died late last week after years spent battling with bladder cancer.

KU coach Bill Self said in his pregame interview Monday that Yvonne had a stroke Thursday, and that Adams was able to return to Austin to say his goodbyes on Friday, “which is so sad to even think about it, but it was a blessing that it could happen that way.” Adams flew to Honolulu overnight with his father, siblings and niece in time for the game Monday.

“Our heart bleeds, obviously, for the Adams family and KJ and everyone,” Self said. “Hopefully we’ll rally around that, and he’ll rally around us and we’ll become stronger.”

Added point guard Dajuan Harris Jr.: “We’re just trying to win games for him and his mom. We got his back, Coach got his back, and we’re glad he came. We’re going to need him for the next two games.”

Adams came off the bench to a standing ovation with 14:14 remaining in the first half against Chaminade and scored his first points on a floater late in the first half. In one particularly memorable moment, he slammed home an alley-oop off the backboard from Harris to extend the Jayhawks’ lead to 20 points in the second half. He finished with eight points and four assists.

“I was thinking I’d play him 15 minutes,” Self said postgame, “and we’re just so much better with him in the game.”

The Silverswords, a perpetual underdog squad that famously upset Virginia in 1982, are the traditional hosts of the Maui Invitational. This year, the summer’s rampant wildfires on Maui forced the relocation of the tournament from Lahaina to the University of Hawaii, not far from Chaminade’s own Honolulu campus.

The Silverswords came to play early on with aggressive defense on the perimeter against KU’s guards. The Jayhawks kept their composure, though. They worked the ball inside to Dickinson for two early baskets and, on the occasion of the rare defensive miscues that allowed the Silverswords to score, got out in transition immediately for two more scores, taking an 11-4 lead and forcing a timeout from Chaminade coach Eric Bovaird.

Lowell pulled up for a 3 over Johnny Furphy right out of the break, but despite three straight offensive rebounds, and a few fruitless KU possessions, the Silverswords couldn’t get anything else for the following four minutes.

Chaminade did get into a bit of a groove, though, by cutting its deficit to single digits at 23-15 with eight minutes left in the first half on a Reeves jumper, then getting as close as 25-20 thanks to back-to-back turnovers on a shot-clock violation caused by Elmarko Jackson and a bad pass by McCullar.

With a healthy mix of McCullar drives and Dickinson post play, the Jayhawks got back up 39-27 by the halftime break. Dickinson had 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting by the time the buzzer sounded, while the Silverswords relied on four separate scorers with five or six points each.

KU had its biggest success early in the second half running the fast break again, with one sequence in which Dickinson forced a steal and tossed it to Jackson to run the break, setting up three-point play for McCullar, as a particular highlight. But Chaminade responded again with consecutive buckets on a Thomas 3-pointer and Reeves layup to make it 48-37.

KU went on a 15-3 run that included a trio of easy layups for Dickinson, but right on cue, the Silverswords had another answer and forced a timeout from Self with seven straight points, including another Lowell 3.

McCullar got three assists in the span of just over a minute late in the game to clinch his triple-double. The starters stayed in, playing quite a lot of minutes for a matchup against a Division II foe.

“Our bench wasn’t any good today, so we didn’t want to play our guys that much,” Self said. “But I will say this. Whoever we play tomorrow will play their guys at least that much, so it’s not going to be an excuse.”

KU will face the winner of Monday night’s Marquette-UCLA matchup on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. Central Time. The Jayhawks will face two opponents in the next two days.

“Coach just said in the locker room, ‘No excuses,'” Dickinson said. “We came out here with the mindset of going 3-0, and whatever that takes. We try to pride ourselves on being the toughest, nastiest team and we’re going to try to play Kansas basketball for three straight days regardless of how many minutes I have to play or Kevin, Juan, KJ, anybody has to play.”

Box score

photo by: AP Photo/Marco Garcia

Kansas guard Johnny Furphy (10) tries to get past Chaminade forward Chris Bready (3) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu.

photo by: AP Photo/Marco Garcia

Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr., left, looks to get past Chaminade guard Jamir Thomas, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu.

photo by: AP Photo/Marco Garcia

Kansas forward K.J. Adams Jr. slam-dunks against Chaminade during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu.

photo by: AP Photo/Marco Garcia

Kansas center Hunter Dickinson slam-dunks against Chaminade during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu.

photo by: AP Photo/Marco Garcia

Kansas center Hunter Dickinson (1) goes for the net over Chaminade forward Wyatt Lowell (25) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu.

photo by: AP Photo/Marco Garcia

Kansas forward K.J. Adams Jr. slam-dunks against Chaminade during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu.

photo by: AP Photo/Marco Garcia

Kansas head coach Bill Self, center, watches his team take on Chaminade during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu.

photo by: AP Photo/Marco Garcia

Kansas guard Johnny Furphy (10) goes for a layup over Chaminade during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu.

photo by: AP Photo/Marco Garcia

Kansas guard Elmarko Jackson, left, dribbles past Kansas guard Isaac Amaral-Artharee (55) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu.

photo by: AP Photo/Marco Garcia

Kansas head coach Bill Self reacts to play as his team takes on Chaminade during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu.

photo by: AP Photo/Marco Garcia

Kansas guard Johnny Furphy (10) wears a Hawaii-inspired team uniform before his first career start in an NCAA college basketball game against Chaminade, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu.