photo by: AP Photo/John Bazemore

Michigan State forward Frankie Fidler (8) passes the ball as Kansas center Hunter Dickinson (1) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Atlanta.

Atlanta — The occasionally outspoken Kansas center Hunter Dickinson chose his words carefully on Tuesday night.

He opted for an exceedingly diplomatic approach as he referenced his feelings about Michigan State.

On revisiting the rivalry in which he had been immersed during his three-year tenure at Michigan, he said simply, “It was a very big game for me. Definitely a big game.”

Of a “too small” gesture — complete with a stomp on center court — that he used as a celebration after a series of buckets midway through the second half: “I was saying they (were) too small, they can’t guard me, and I was putting an emphasis on it.”

As head coach Bill Self put it, at Michigan and Michigan State, “I’m sure they’re trained to dislike the other at a pretty significant level.”

Dislike notwithstanding, Dickinson was correct that the Spartans couldn’t guard him. He scored the first eight points of the night for KU and didn’t let up from there as the Jayhawks won 77-69. Teammate Dajuan Harris Jr. expressed surprise that Michigan State didn’t try to double-team Dickinson — “It made it easier for us,” Harris said — and as a result of that approach, the 7-foot-2 center found himself one-on-one in the post over and over against various Spartan post players, scoring from close range but chipping in the occasional jumper or 3-pointer when needed.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said he didn’t plan to double-team Dickinson and that he hadn’t seen many other teams try that approach. He noted that in part, they didn’t take that tack because they wanted to limit players like Harris and KJ Adams.

“(Dickinson) of course hurt us, but you pick your poison sometime,” Izzo said. “Give him credit, he made some of those shots, made that big 3. We had our chances to win the game. I’m not sure I would have changed that. I’d just like to make maybe just two more 3s.”

The Spartans, of course, went 3-for-24 from beyond the arc on the night.

Whatever the case, the result was a 28-point, 12-rebound night for Dickinson when little else was working for his team. It was a full display of Dickinson’s potential as a preseason All-American and candidate for national player of the year honors, after he had to knock off some rust in KU’s opening two games following an early-fall foot injury.

“I think Hunter’s playing better than I expected,” head coach Bill Self said, “because as you guys saw, against Carolina he should have had 30 and his timing’s all off. And he just hadn’t practiced much. When he gets his rhythm and gets in shape he’ll do better things but I did think he was pretty good.”

As Self noted, one blemish was free-throw shooting, as Dickinson went 1-for-4. He was vastly better from the field, shooting 13-for-21 (61.9%).

One interesting aspect of Dickinson’s night was that he did some of his damage in two-big lineups, which Self had previously said were rather unlikely unless the Jayhawks were playing zone defense. Dickinson played alongside freshman center Flory Bidunga on many occasions.

Self mentioned that the Jayhawks’ usual 4-man Adams hadn’t practiced since Friday’s game against North Carolina (due to an ankle issue) and KU didn’t even know if he would play, but added that Bidunga-Dickinson lineup was primarily a means of countering Michigan State’s own look with players like 7-foot Szymon Zapala and 6-foot-10 Xavier Booker.

“I actually thought since Michigan State played two bigs, we’d be better off playing those two together,” Self said, adding with a smile, “And we did, we practiced it for 20 minutes one day, so we should be pretty adept at doing it.”

He said the lineup worked pretty well for them. Bidunga struggled with foul trouble but managed to throw down three dunks in 12 minutes of action.

“Flory’s a freak athlete, so athletic, so energetic, a really big motor,” Dickinson said. “And playing with him makes it really easy, because If I’m able to set a screen and roll and the guy doesn’t step up, I can get a free run to the lane. Or if they step up, I just got to throw it anywhere near the backboard, he’s going to go get it.”

It’s just another look the Jayhawks can put on the floor as they work on getting all their new players acclimated. Dickinson, for his part, continues to be a steady force.