Gradey Dick shares emotions of first career double-double

Gradey Dick‘s 19-point, 11-rebound double-double willed 1-seed Kansas over 16-seed Howard in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday afternoon.

The line was good for the first double-double of Dick’s young career, and the standout freshman explained his rebounding strategy during his impressive performance.

“It’s obviously my first one so it means something, but I think I kinda knew toward the end of the game,” Dick said postgame. “But I was kinda trying to use the face guard to my advantage and get some rebounds where guys could really see me.”

Coming into the matchup, Dick averaged an honest 14.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game throughout the regular season and Big 12 Tournament. The closest the freshman had to double-digit boards was 9, which came back on New Year’s Eve in a 69-67 win over Oklahoma State.

After trailing 30-29 to Howard in the first half, the Jayhawks turned on the jets en route to what turned out to be a 28-point victory over the Bison. KJ Adams and Dajuan Harris combined for 24 points while Harris added 7 assists and 4 steals to his stat line as well. All five Kansas starters finished the game in double figures.

The win advances the Jayhawks to the Round of 32 to face off against 8-seed Arkansas on Saturday. The Razorbacks took down Illinois 73-63 in their first-round game, and is expected to give Kansas a run for its money.

Scouting mutual competiton between the two programs, Kansas is 2-1 against SEC opponents this year with wins over Tennessee and Kentucky. For comparison, Arkansas lost its only matchup against the Vols 75-57 back on Feb. 28, and split its games with the Wildcats throughout SEC play. Looking back at the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, Arkansas took Baylor to its limit, but the Bears came out on top 67-64. Kansas split its season series with Baylor this year.

While Kansas hopes to repeat as national champions, Arkansas proves to be a major roadblock to the Jayhawks in the tournament’s second round. The Razorbacks’ season didn’t go as well as expected, but the raw talent on Eric Musselman’s roster makes it hard not to believe Arkansas has a shot.

The winner will advance to next week’s Sweet 16 to face one of four teams — Saint Mary’s, VCU, UConn and Iona — all of which, however, will play their first-round games on on Friday.