1 – Ernest Udeh Jr. – Plenty was made about Udeh’s big day in our game coverage, and the big question now is whether that kind of outing and effort can be sustained. It sure seems like the answer is yes. Udeh won’t be perfect every game, but he was close to it in this one, a 78-55 rout of the Sooners by 9th-ranked Kansas. He played a season-high 17 minutes, scored eight points (on four lobs) and grabbed 4 rebounds, as well. The biggest reason why he enjoyed such a solid game was his emphasis on playing hard. He seems to understand that as long as the effort’s up, good things will happen. It takes confidence to consistently play with good effort and high energy, and Udeh seems to have a ton of that right now. If he can stay within himself and not let that confidence carry over into him trying to do too much because he’s feeling himself, he could provide a huge lift for this team down the stretch and change a lot about the outlook for what this team is capable of, both night in and night out and in the big picture.
2 – Jalen Wilson – Wilson bounced back from his two-point effort in the win over Texas with a more classic Jalen Wilson type of game in this one. KU coach Bill Self said he could tell that Wilson needed to see the ball go in again, and it did. Plenty. He made 7 of 17 shots and looked great on all three 3-pointers he drilled in four attempts. Add to those scoring numbers the fact that he grabbed 5 rebounds, dished 5 assists and swiped 5 steals. He said after the game that focusing on the right things — playing hard, team basketball, good attitude and effort, etc. — make the rest of it come easy. Wilson was smooth throughout this one and resumed his role as the best scorer in the Big 12 and this team’s unquestioned leader.
3 – Dajuan Harris Jr. – This was a perfect day for Harris on offense. He played with an aggressive mindset, was highly efficient and finished with a double-digit shot total. The three turnovers to go along with three assists weren’t ideal, but KU wants him to look to be more of a scorer and the fact that he took the second most shots on the team — behind Wilson, who should probably always take the most — was the latest indicator that Harris’ scorer’s mindset is becoming more second nature for him. He’s still always going to favor the pass and setting up teammates to getting his own. But he prefers winning above it all and knows that for this team to win big he has to score. The coaching staff and even some of his teammates continue to emphasize that and he hears them.
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PHOTO GALLERY: Kansas basketball at Oklahoma
Box score: Kansas 78, Oklahoma 55
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4 – Kevin McCullar Jr. – A few too many jumpers early gave way to some outstanding takes to the basket late, complete with spin moves and and-one finishes. McCullar is a capable shooter but it should never be his first option. He’s too good slashing, getting to the rim and finishing in tight to rely solely on pulling jumpers, especially jump shots that he dribbles into. I think he understands that. And he often self corrects in real time. Saturday was one of those days and his final line reflected that — 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in 35 minutes. It continues to be clear that McCullar’s best impact on this team is when he uses his active hands and feet to create steals and deflections that lead to KU points in transition. When he’s got that going, the rest of his game tends to fall into place pretty nicely.
5 – Gradey Dick – OU was not going to let Dick beat them, so he didn’t force it. In fact, the Jayhawks’ best shooter attempted just five shots total and did not take a single 3-pointer. He also faded to the background a little as a result of OU’s approach, but you’d probably rather have that — especially on the road from a freshman gunner like Gradey — than a kid who tries to force up a bunch of guarded or bad shots. Credit Gradey’s basketball IQ and unselfish demeanor for understanding that and finding ways to get what he could when it was there. Nothing was better than his breakaway, one-handed slam that definitely served as a little outlet for his frustration on the way he was being guarded. He grabbed five rebounds, didn’t turn it over and had a plus/minus number of +25 in his 34 minutes. KU will always want and often need him to do more. But on the days when it’s a struggle, it’s nice to see that he understands how to play within himself and not try to push past his limits.
6 – KJ Adams – He mad 5 of 6 shots from the floor and finished with 10 points, but there were at least two other areas of the game that sort of nullified that production — turnovers, of which he had four, and foul trouble. Adams picked up two fouls in the game’s first few minutes and had to sit early. That’s been a bit of a trend lately, and at least one of them was easily avoidable. He knew it the minute the whistle blew and reacted as such. Give him credit for not picking up his third foul until the 6:57 mark of the second half, but early foul trouble like that tends to take away players’ aggressive edge and leaves them thinking more than playing. In this particular case, it led to early PT for Udeh and he delivered with a big day. So it didn’t doom the Jayhawks. But they’re going to need Adams on the floor, playing with a free mind, and he needs to figure out how to avoid foul trouble while still playing with a physical and active approach.
7 – MJ Rice – He played 14 minutes and had plenty of head-scratching moments. But here’s the thing you need to look at with Rice — rebounding. He grabbed four boards in this one and that’s an indication of where a guy is at in terms of his willingness to compete. One of those rebounds led to a put-back basket. Self also drew up a lob for Rice that was doomed from the start thanks to McCullar under-throwing the pass and Dick cutting right into the passing lane. But neither of those mistakes were Rice’s fault and the fact that Self actually drew something up for him shows you that there is still the potential for him to find his stride in time to help this team make a run.
8 – Joe Yesufu – Kind of a dud of a follow-up to one of his best games as a Jayhawk. Yesufu looked sped up, off balance and pretty much nothing like he looked against Texas. His impact is going to be matchup dependent, but he should be able to avoid bad shots and play good basketball against anybody. Give him credit for the three assists and trying to push the pace in transition. But the 0-for-4 shooting with one turnover (which actually was more like two or three because of his poor shot selection) made this a forgettable day and limited him to nine minutes, even in the blowout.
9 – Zuby Ejiofor – Played just 1:32 in mop-up time and didn’t do enough or show enough — nor have enough time — to demonstrate how his injured foot looked. The fact that he was out there though — and has been cleared to play — is a good sign for KU’s depth. It’s hard to imagine counting too heavily on Zuby at this point. But, as he showed throughout the early part of the season when he was barely playing, he’ll stay ready and will have a good attitude no matter what.
1 – Jalen Wilson, 204
2 – Dajuan Harris Jr., 178
3 – KJ Adams, 165
4 – Gradey Dick, 161
5 – Kevin McCullar Jr., 154o
6 – Bobby Pettiford, 97
7 – Joe Yesufu, 89
8 – Ernest Udeh Jr., 65
9 – MJ Rice, 59y
10 – Zuby Ejiofor, 53u
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*
