Kansas' K.J. Adams Jr. dunks during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. Kansas won 95-67.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Columbia, Mo. — There were three or four obvious reasons that Kansas sophomore KJ Adams enjoyed a career night in the Jayhawks’ 95-67 rout of the rival Missouri Tigers on Saturday night at Mizzou Arena.

But Saturday’s biggest factor, which probably outweighed all of the others combined, was sitting behind the Kansas bench.

Adams’ mom, Yvonne, made the trip from Austin, Texas to Columbia on Saturday to watch her son make his 10th start of the season for the sixth-ranked Jayhawks.

“My mom came down, so I think that hyped me up a little bit,” Adams said after the victory. “(My parents) don’t really get to travel as much as I would like them to. So, when my mom came, I think that boosted my spirits up a little.”

It certainly proved to be worth the trip.

In 32 minutes, Adams scored 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting. He spent most of the first half setting the tone for what would wind up being a long night for the home team. And Kansas coach Bill Self pretty much told him exactly how it would play out well before the Jayhawks arrived at Mizzou Arena.

“We told him before the game, ‘This is the perfect game for you,'” Self said after the win. “They didn’t have standing height and we don’t have standing height, so he has an advantage and he’s so athletic. You can throw it to him when he’s being guarded by a guy his size and that’s what happened a few times and he got his confidence going a little bit. He’s really good in that short-roll setup.”

He’s also turning into quite a force when he attacks the rim.

So many times on Saturday night, the Jayhawks’ precision passing — Adams was also a part of that — had the Tigers chasing the ball, and Adams’ ability to position himself in the perfect spots and attack the rim from there led to several highlight-reel, hammer dunks.

Self said a big part of the Jayhawks’ game plan against the Tigers’ aggressive defense was for the KU guards to make the extra pass as soon as they got by their man off the dribble. That often led to two or three extra passes and Adams was the beneficiary of a lot of those, with little between him and the rim on most of his 11 shot attempts.

“Coach said all week that we’ve just got to get to the cup and not settle for anything, and that’s exactly what we did,” KU junior Jalen Wilson, who did a fair amount of attacking on his own, recording game-highs in points (24) and rebounds (10).

But he, too, was impressed by the way Adams played — and has played in recent weeks — and Wilson said he has thoroughly enjoyed watching Adams take a major step forward during the past few games.

“You (saw) today how confident he is,” Wilson said. “He’s probably the strongest guy on the court. Strongest guy on the court with the highest vertical is a bad combo. So, to have that on our side is great.”

Adams’ father, Kevin Sr., has been in Lawrence for a handful of games already this season. But always alone. The fact that Yvonne was with him for this one, made Adams smile before and after the game, and her presence on his big night was a feel-good story for everyone on the Kansas side.

“KJ was really good today and I was really happy to see it because his mother had been struggling health-wise a little bit,” Self said. “So, having her here behind the bench, with dad, that was great.”

After Saturday’s victory, Adams mentioned how his mom had played basketball at Texas A&M and, therefore, had “played in a lot of big games.”

Indeed, she had. While leading the Aggies in scoring during her two seasons at A&M, Adams’ mother — then Yvonne Hill — also showcased her own all-around game, much like her son does today.

During the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons, she led the team in minutes played, games played, blocks, steals, free throws attempted, free throw percentage, field goal percentage and even 3-point percentage during one season.

Oh, and she did it all while wearing jersey No. 24. The same number her son now wears at Kansas.

Like his mother felt while sitting behind the KU bench on Saturday night, Adams said he was just “happy and excited to be in situations like this.”

“Ever since I (was) little, I’ve always been dreaming of situations like this,” he said. “So, just being (here) and just being grateful for where I am because of all the sacrifices my parents made for me. It’s all coming through right now, and I’m just glad to be out here while they’re watching.”