LAWRENCE, Kan. - With just seven scholarship players at coach Bill Self's disposal, the Kansas men's basketball team weathered early foul trouble against Tennessee and escaped with a win.
Devon Dotson scored 22 points and Udoka Azubuike added 18 as the third-ranked Jayhawks beat the Volunteers 74-68 in a Big 12/SEC Challenge matchup.
Azubuike, a 7-foot, 270-pound senior center, was the lone big man available for the Jayhawks (16-3) after the Big 12 suspended Silvio De Sousa for 12 games and David McCormack for five due to their participation in a brawl near the end of Tuesday's home win against Kansas State.
"I thought today would've been the easiest game to get up for with the week that we had," Self said.
After Azubuike went to the bench with two fouls early, Yves Pons hit consecutive 3-pointers to put the Vols (12-7) on a 14-2 run for a 20-13 lead. Kansas answered when Azubuike checked back in, stringing together a 12-0 run to head to halftime with a 37-30 advantage.
"That stretch when (Azubuike) really got off was a pivotal point in the first half," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. "I thought we were hanging on there at the end of the first half."
Tennessee's Olivier Nkamhoua, left, and Jalen Johnson, obscured, defend as Kansas guard Devon Dotson shoots during the first half Saturday in Lawrence, Kan. / AP photo by Orlin WagnerWith the Jayhawks returning to conference competition Monday at Oklahoma State, the pressure will remain on Azubuike, whose early foul trouble stalled the offense and allowed for a substantial run by the Vols, although he recovered to finish with 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Pons led Tennessee with 24 points, and senior guard Jordan Bowden came alive early in the second half, knocking down three 3-pointers and finishing with 19 points after a scoreless first half.
Only three Vols - John Fulkerson, Pons and Santiago Vescovi - scored in the first half, when Tennessee turned the ball over 15 times. Despite the offensive struggles, the Vols were able to stay within striking distance.
They pulled within three late in the game, but Azubuike had a block and hit four free throws to keep the visitors in check.
Fulkerson had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Pons also had seven rebounds and three blocks.
The 65-year-old Barnes, who is in his fifth season leading the Vols and reached 700 career wins last month, has been a head coach since the late 1980s, with stops at George Mason, Providence, Clemson and Texas before taking over in Knoxville.
Barnes spent 17 seasons at his previous stop with the Longhorns, and on Saturday he returned to Allen Fieldhouse in search of an eighth win against Self. That would have given him the most victories of any current active coach against the Hall of Famer.
Winless in the Jayhawks' nest since Texas topped Kansas 74-63 in 2011, Barnes remains tied with Michigan State's Tom Izzo in head-to-head victories over Self.
"I love Rick Barnes," Self said. "I think he's terrific. I will always love competing against Rick's teams."
Kansas guard Devon Dotson drives past Tennessee's Josiah-Jordan James for a basket during the first half of Saturday's Big 12/SEC Challenge game in Lawrence, Kan. / AP photo by Orlin WagnerWith the clock dwindling below five minutes and trailing 66-63, Barnes entered Uros Plavsic to foul Azubuike, an inconsistent free-throw shooter at 42.4% for the season.
"Very subtly that may have been the biggest play of the game," Self said. "Because it gave him confidence after making those two to go knock a couple more down."
Azubuike finished 6-of-11 on foul shots, with four makes coming in the final five minutes.
Said Barnes: "Those were big free throws, and you know what, maybe we made him get better today."
Tennessee returns to competition and Southeastern Conference play when it hosts Texas A&M (9-9, 7-4) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.