Upon further review ... Bill Self offers opinion on whether Nick Timberlake was fouled

Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self acknowledged on Friday that his Jayhawks caught a break when a foul was called on a breakaway dunk attempt by Nick Timberlake with 14 seconds left in a 93-89 first-round NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional victory over Samford on Thursday night at Delta Center.

“If you’re referring to the block on Nick (by Samford’s A.J. Staton-McCray) I thought it was clean,” Self said at a news conference held in advance of Saturday’s Round of 32 contest against Gonzaga.

Tipoff is 2:15 p.m. Central at Delta Center.

“But there’s also some calls — you know, KJ (Adams) got the crap fouled out of him on his dunk there at the end too. So that goes both ways,” Self added.

Self was referring to a breakaway slam dunk by Adams — one contested by trailing Samford forward Achor Achor — giving KU a 90-86 lead with 0:30 left. Timberlake hit two free throws that gave KU a 92-89 lead at 0:14.

“The thing about basketball, it’s comprised of human beings that actually, at times, could miss something. Players miss something. Officials can miss something,” Self said. “I actually think the replay reviews should handle most of this. But in our game last night, and I think in other games, you’re going to the replay, it seems like, every call in the last two minutes, which also extends the game. But we were fortunate with that one call, there’s no question. But there’s 100 calls throughout a game.”

It should be noted KU big man Hunter Dickinson made a long baseball pass on the slam dunk by Adams. On the night, Dickinson had five assists to no turnovers. He also had 19 points and 20 rebounds.

Self was asked what makes Dickinson such a good passer.

“I think there’s a lot of things,” Self said. “He’s got great hands. I mean, great hands. He’s got vision, like a guard. The other thing, he’s tall. He can see over things. He made a couple plays in transition that were long passes, and the pass I was referring to to KJ at the end, in large part because he’s 7-feet tall and he can see over people. He’s being trapped or guarded by a guard in the backcourt, he can see over that.

“But he’s got great feel. Hunt’s got as good a feel as any big guy that I’ve been around, and certainly I can’t remember us ever having a guy that passed it like him from the pivot position.”

Gonzaga coach Mark Few has noticed Dickinson’s ability to pass.

“Hunter Dickinson looked great to me last night. Made great plays. Shot a hook with his bad (right) arm. Made three-quarter-court passes like Kevin Love. I thought he looked great,” Few said.

KU point guard Dajuan Harris, who made the pass to Timberlake on the controversial foul, was told of Few’s comparing the KU big man to NBA big man Love.

“I see that,” Harris said. “He does that (baseball passes the full length of court) a lot at practice. In hot situations with a fresh breaker, he’s always the one throwing it deep. Sometimes at practice it could be a bad pass. Coach trusts him to make the pass, so I do too.”

Added forward Parker Braun: “I think it’s finding the open man and making the right play. It’s finding the open guy, making sure you turn and face and see the whole court. If those guys are open long, that’s who you are going to get the ball to.”