TCU guard Damion Baugh (10) attempts to shoot as Kansas forward K.J. Adams Jr. (24) and Kevin McCullar Jr. (15) defend in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
1 – Kevin McCullar Jr. – The big tie-up late was huge, but so were McCullar’s instincts, reads and all-out effort on the defensive end. And just for good measure he also added 15 points and 7 rebounds. Kansas coach Bill Self marveled at McCullar’s defense after the hard-earned, 63-58 road victory at TCU on Monday night, and McCullar continues to get tougher and tougher by the week and fill more of the quintessential Bill Self defender role with every trip up the floor. The fact that he gives this team a little bit of everything and not just the defense is what makes him so important to this lineup. Harris called McCullar the heart and soul of the team after the win, and did not sound like he was reaching or forcing one bit.
2 – Dajuan Harris Jr. – Harris had 6 points on 9 shots and dished 8 assists with 0 turnovers. Solid numbers to be sure. But, like in the case of McCullar, Harris’ biggest contribution showed up in his defense, where he helped hold TCU guard Mike Miles Jr. — the Big 12’s preseason player of the year — to 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting and TCU as a whole to 30.3% shooting overall and 27.8% shooting from 3-point range. Here’s the crazy thing about Harris’ line: On a night when he helped KU win with superb defense, he did not record a single steal. It was that kind of night, not exactly a free-flowing, up-and-down affair but more of a muckers game which Harris fit into wonderfully.
3 – Jalen Wilson – He shot just 3-of-11 from the floor, missed both of his 3-point tries badly and even missed a free throw. Didn’t matter. He still scored seven important points and grabbed 13 monster rebounds, helping to push and pull the Jayhawks past TCU with pure grit. The 7 points is a little uncharacteristic, of course, but he’ll likely still be leading the Big 12 in scoring and rebounding heading into the weekend. Not too shabby.
4 – Gradey Dick – Gradey was outstanding in the game’s opening minutes and he started the second half quickly, as well, scoring five points to help KU add to its lead. But this was a defensive game and while offense mattered, the guys who did the dirty work were graded a little more favorably on the curve for this one. The KU freshman did grab 6 rebounds and dished a couple of assists in 34 minutes. But his biggest contribution, which was crucial, came on offense where he shot 7-of-18 from the floor and 3-of-10 from 3-point range.
5 – Ernest Udeh Jr. – He flailed from time to time and fouled, too, but he also finished at the rim on all three of his shot attempts and recorded three steals in his 14 minutes. Next time you watch Udeh play, follow his hands. They’re so active and so quick for a man his size, and they play a big role in everything he does on the floor in a suddenly key role for the Jayhawks.
6 – KJ Adams – Monday wasn’t KJ’s night, but that didn’t keep him from fighting. He shot just 2-for-8 from the floor, missed a key free throw late and played through foul trouble and turnover issues all night. But he also did grab 6 rebounds and a steal while scoring 6 points on a night KU won by five. There are no small roles when you’re trying to put together the kind of grind-ready team that the Jayhawks prefer to take into March. It was an off night. No doubt about it. But he’ll put this one behind him and get back to work — after a little rest — and start Saturday’s game versus West Virginia with a clear head and a whole new objective.
7 – Bobby Pettiford – Pettiford scored on a strong take/cut to the rim and also had a bad turnover, which kind of canceled out the good play he made on offense. It likely also was the reason he was limited to 9 minutes in the game. TCU’s long, tall and physical lineup may have had something to do with it, as well.
8 – MJ Rice – Rice and Yesufu both played just 4 minutes in this one and neither looked particularly good in any one area. But Rice scored a layup in transition and Yesufu missed the only shot he attempted with no other stats on the stat sheet. It’s interesting because even though MJ had the slightly better stat line, his plus/minus number was a minus-3 while Yesufu’s was a plus-3. That certainly fits the aesthetics of the one, but it’s not like Yesufu did anything to make you think he played a key role in what was a tough win by the Jayhawks.
9 – Joe Yesufu – See above.
Season standings
———–
1 – Jalen Wilson, 225
2 – Dajuan Harris Jr., 202
3 – Gradey Dick, 182
4 – KJ Adams, 179
5 – Kevin McCullar Jr., 178o
6 – Bobby Pettiford, 105
7 – Joe Yesufu, 96
8 – Ernest Udeh Jr., 75
9 – MJ Rice, 62y
10 – Zuby Ejiofor, 57u
11 – Zach Clemence, 44z
12 – Cam Martin, 11q
13 – Kyle Cuffe Jr., 2x
*x – Out for 10-12 weeks with a knee injury starting Nov. 13*
*y – Missed 3 of the first 5 games of the season because of injury and illness; also sat out games because of COVID, kidney stones and back spasms*
*z – Missed Duke, Southern Utah and NC State games because of injury. Also injured a knee in road loss at Iowa State, which caused him to miss more time*
*o – Missed Nov. 29 game vs. Texas Southern with a groin injury
*q – Missed first nine games of the season with shoulder injury
*u – Missed a few weeks during the middle of the Big 12 season with a foot injury*
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