1 – Dajuan Harris Jr. – This was one of the toughest calls of the entire season because Wilson was also really, really good and did a lot toward setting the tone from the jump. But Harris’ final line and impact on the game were just off-the-charts good. He was in attack mode on offense, played a huge role in Kansas being the aggressor on that end and that put the Mountaineers on their heels from the jump. Harris also harassed them defensively, leading to a line of 13 points (on 11 shots), 8 assists, 5 steals and 4 rebounds. If he can replicate that night in and night out the rest of the way, KU is going to be really hard to beat.
2 – Jalen Wilson – Ho hum, ho hum, another double-double for the Big 12 player of the year. By far the coolest thing about Wilson’s 22 points and 11 rebounds in this one was how you could tell in the way he played how much it meant to him to represent ailing coach Bill Self the right way with a strong effort. That was part of it and it mattered. But so, too, did the fact that Wilson has started to feel the urgency of the end. He talked in the locker room after the game about explaining to his teammates that, if they don’t come to play, they could have just two games left this season. That’s leadership. That’s focus. And Wilson is delivering both of those things as well as just about anybody right now while also still putting up the numbers he needs to for Kansas to win.
3 – Gradey Dick – It had been a rough 10 days or so for the sharp-shooting freshman, but Dick broke out of his mini-slump in a big way on Thursday, knocking in 7 of 12 shots overall and 4 from 3-point range. He had a couple more that just missed that would’ve blown the game open even earlier than Kansas did. One thing that really stood out about Dick’s play in this one was his emphasis on taking the ball to the rim when the WVU defenders crowded him at the 3-point line. One way to beat that is by backing up and shooting deeper shots. That, however, increases the level of difficulty at the same time. The other way to beat it is by being strong with the ball, putting it on the floor and forcing the defense to respect your drive and ability to get to the rim. That really opened things up for Dick in this game and should give him confidence to do the same moving forward, even if it is never easy.
4 – Kevin McCullar Jr. – KU coach Norm Roberts said after the victory that McCullar was real close to not playing. The fact that he answered the bell by playing through back spasms for 26 minutes in and of itself was key. The way he played was that much more important. As soon as McCullar checked into the game for Thursday starter Joe Yesufu, the Jayhawks’ defensive intensity went up a notch. Just having him out there brings a different dimension to the floor and makes things easier for the rest of the Jayhawks out there with him. He only had 3 points and a steal in his time on Thursday, but he grabbed 7 rebounds, showing that the back wasn’t bothering him too bad and that he was willing to push through whatever discomfort there was. Solid day. Important message about March.
5 – KJ Adams – KU’s starting 5 man finished with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including three vicious dunks out of the pick-and-roll, and some really efficient play on the offensive end. More important than those numbers, though, was the emotion he brought to the floor after those dunks and and-one opportunities. Adams isn’t always the first person you think of when you think of KU’s leaders, but Roberts and a couple of his teammates praised his leadership qualities in this one, saying they were just as important as anybody’s in KU’s challenge of playing without head coach Bill Self on the bench.
6 – Joe Yesufu – Yesufu got the nod here over Udeh because of the degree of difficulty of his day. It’s much harder to jump in as a spot starter on short notice than it is to play 10 minutes off the bench. Not all of Yesufu’s minutes were quality minutes. He had a really rough stretch in the game’s opening minutes after draining an early 3-pointer to get things going. But he settled in a little after that and made the most of his 16 minutes, which could have been twice that many had McCullar not been able to play.
7 – Ernest Udeh Jr. – Udeh looked pretty good again in this one, after a couple of off games. His only two points came on a lob that he threw down with authority late in the game and he added 4 rebounds and 4 fouls in 10 minutes. He once again flashed his comfort and ability to guard smaller players on the perimeter and looked incredibly comfortable doing so. It’s hard to know exactly how much Udeh will be needed down the stretch, but there’s no doubt that games like this one, however limited, should provide KU with the comfort of knowing he knows what to do when he’s out there. At that point, it’s just about doing it.
8 – Bobby Pettiford – Not the best of days for Bobby, who still looks less than confident and comfortable most of the time he’s in the game right now. That’s not from a lack of desire or effort. Both of those things register high. It’s likely just the lack of reps that has him thinking too much instead of just playing. Never was that more evident than at the end of the first half when KU had 13 seconds to get the final shot but instead got nothing when Pettiford fumbled the ball and nearly turned it over three times. WVU’s defense simply refused to let Harris bring the ball up in that situation and the result illustrated why. Pettiford won’t be asked to do too much for this team moving forward. But he has to be able to give them steady play in moments like that because there’s little doubt that the scout on Kansas will show everybody just how important Harris is and he’ll need a release valve from time to time.
Season standings
———–
1 – Jalen Wilson, 256
2 – Dajuan Harris Jr., 235
3 – Kevin McCullar Jr., 207o
4 – Gradey Dick, 206
5 – KJ Adams, 203
T6 – Bobby Pettiford, 111
T6 – Joe Yesufu, 111
8 – Ernest Udeh Jr., 87
9 – MJ Rice, 66y
10 – Zuby Ejiofor, 62u
11 – Zach Clemence, 45z
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*
