Kansas is expected to leave for the Bahamas today to begin preparing for the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis. The Jayhawks will be joined by Butler, Brigham Young, Dayton, N.C. State, USC, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Kansas will open up play at the Battle 4 Atlantis against N.C. State on Wednesday at 11:00 AM central time. So, with the Battle 4 Atlantis set to begin on Wednesday morning, here are a few things I’ll be paying attention to during the event.
-- Obviously, Bill Self will make his coaching debut against N.C. State on Wednesday. After a self-imposed four-game suspension, Self and Kurtis Townsend will return to the bench this week. Coach Norm Roberts guided Kansas to a 4-0 record to open the season, but I’m interested to see how Kansas performs with Self back on the bench. I think Roberts did a great job in getting Kansas to 4-0, but replacing what many believe to be the best coach in all of college basketball is an impossible task. The Jayhawks easily took care of business at home against Omaha and North Dakota State, needed a late rally to defeat Duke in Indianapolis, and did just enough to slip past Southern Utah, 82-76, on Friday night.
I know that Self has been around during practice, so having him back on the bench for games won’t be totally different. However, for the first time this season, Self will be on the bench when it matters most. For the first time this season, the guys will hear Self’s voice during a timeout and they will have the opportunity to work with Self on the day of a game.
-- I’m really interested to see if Jalen Wilson can continue to hot streak during KU’s time in the Bahamas. After four games, Wilson, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward from Denton, Texas, is averaging 24.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Offensively, he’s shooting 47 percent from the field, 33 percent from behind the arc, and 87 percent from the free-throw line. Wilson went for 19 points against Omaha, 21 points against North Dakota State, 25 points against Duke, and 33 points against Southern Utah. If you take away his 0-of-7 shooting from behind the arc against Duke, Wilson has connected on 8-of-17 shots from three. I’m interested to see if he can continue to find ways to impact the game on the offensive end of the court when his shot isn’t falling.
-- I knew that Gradey Dick, the 6-foot-8, 205-pound guard from Wichita, Kan., was going to be good, but I’m not sure that I expected him to be this good, especially this early, for Kansas. After four games, he’s averaging 16.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Offensively, Dick has connected on 55.1 percent of his field goals, 50 percent of his shots from behind the arc, and 60 percent of his free throws. It’s not that he’s just been good, and he’s been fantastic at times, but it’s when he’s been good that’s really impressed me the most. His performance late in the game against Duke pretty much sealed the win for Kansas, and his three against Southern Utah late in the game was one of the biggest shots of the game.
So far this season, he’s got scoring games of 23 points, 12 points, 14 points, and 18 points. I’m really looking forward to seeing how Dick performs in the Bahamas and beyond.
-- Moving forward, I’m still interested to see what happens with the five spot this season. Currently, KJ Adams, Jr., has the spot locked up and is averaging 6.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. I know a lot of people are hoping that Ernest Udeh, Jr., eventually takes that spot, at this stage, he’s averaging just 11 minutes per game. During those 11 minutes, Udeh, Jr., is averaging 3.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. For me, I’m more interested to see what happens with Zach Clemence, the 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward from San Antonio, Texas, when he returns.
Clemence has been out of action since taking a blow to the face against North Dakota State back on November 10. Truthfully, I thought that Clemence would be a fixture in the starting rotation this season, but in two games, he’s averaging just right under 11 minutes per game.
-- Will Kevin McCullar, Jr., the 6-foot-6, 210-pound guard from San Antonio, Texas, become the player that most envisioned when he arrived from Texas Tech this past summer? So far, McCullar, Jr., is averaging 8.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He’s shooting 42 percent from the field, 25 percent from behind the arc, and 71 percent from the free-throw line. However, after four games, McCullar, Jr., has a team-high 14 turnovers, including a game-high five against Southern Utah on Friday night. Now, it’s early in the season and there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that McCullar, Jr., is going to help Kansas win a lot of games this year.
However, if he’s going to be at his best, I think we can all agree that he’s got to do a better job of taking care of the basketball, not get sped up, and just play the game.
-- After playing just seven minutes against Southern Utah, I’m really interested to see how the week plays out for MJ Rice, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound guard from Durham, N.C. I know he had an issue with his back and then missed the Duke game because he was sick, but I want to see how he performs when he’s at his best. There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that Rice has the ability to be a difference-maker for Kansas this season. He’s the type of player that can put up points in a variety of ways and can be a bully getting to the paint. He can score through contact, but can also step outside or create off the bounce.
I think the biggest thing for Rice is getting on the court on a regular basis, finding a role, and becoming comfortable with what Self wants/expects from him. I just think he’s got a chance to be a really good player, but just needs some consistency in terms of getting on the court game after game.
-- Obviously, Bill Self will make his coaching debut against N.C. State on Wednesday. After a self-imposed four-game suspension, Self and Kurtis Townsend will return to the bench this week. Coach Norm Roberts guided Kansas to a 4-0 record to open the season, but I’m interested to see how Kansas performs with Self back on the bench. I think Roberts did a great job in getting Kansas to 4-0, but replacing what many believe to be the best coach in all of college basketball is an impossible task. The Jayhawks easily took care of business at home against Omaha and North Dakota State, needed a late rally to defeat Duke in Indianapolis, and did just enough to slip past Southern Utah, 82-76, on Friday night.
I know that Self has been around during practice, so having him back on the bench for games won’t be totally different. However, for the first time this season, Self will be on the bench when it matters most. For the first time this season, the guys will hear Self’s voice during a timeout and they will have the opportunity to work with Self on the day of a game.
-- I’m really interested to see if Jalen Wilson can continue to hot streak during KU’s time in the Bahamas. After four games, Wilson, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward from Denton, Texas, is averaging 24.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Offensively, he’s shooting 47 percent from the field, 33 percent from behind the arc, and 87 percent from the free-throw line. Wilson went for 19 points against Omaha, 21 points against North Dakota State, 25 points against Duke, and 33 points against Southern Utah. If you take away his 0-of-7 shooting from behind the arc against Duke, Wilson has connected on 8-of-17 shots from three. I’m interested to see if he can continue to find ways to impact the game on the offensive end of the court when his shot isn’t falling.
-- I knew that Gradey Dick, the 6-foot-8, 205-pound guard from Wichita, Kan., was going to be good, but I’m not sure that I expected him to be this good, especially this early, for Kansas. After four games, he’s averaging 16.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Offensively, Dick has connected on 55.1 percent of his field goals, 50 percent of his shots from behind the arc, and 60 percent of his free throws. It’s not that he’s just been good, and he’s been fantastic at times, but it’s when he’s been good that’s really impressed me the most. His performance late in the game against Duke pretty much sealed the win for Kansas, and his three against Southern Utah late in the game was one of the biggest shots of the game.
So far this season, he’s got scoring games of 23 points, 12 points, 14 points, and 18 points. I’m really looking forward to seeing how Dick performs in the Bahamas and beyond.
-- Moving forward, I’m still interested to see what happens with the five spot this season. Currently, KJ Adams, Jr., has the spot locked up and is averaging 6.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. I know a lot of people are hoping that Ernest Udeh, Jr., eventually takes that spot, at this stage, he’s averaging just 11 minutes per game. During those 11 minutes, Udeh, Jr., is averaging 3.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. For me, I’m more interested to see what happens with Zach Clemence, the 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward from San Antonio, Texas, when he returns.
Clemence has been out of action since taking a blow to the face against North Dakota State back on November 10. Truthfully, I thought that Clemence would be a fixture in the starting rotation this season, but in two games, he’s averaging just right under 11 minutes per game.
-- Will Kevin McCullar, Jr., the 6-foot-6, 210-pound guard from San Antonio, Texas, become the player that most envisioned when he arrived from Texas Tech this past summer? So far, McCullar, Jr., is averaging 8.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He’s shooting 42 percent from the field, 25 percent from behind the arc, and 71 percent from the free-throw line. However, after four games, McCullar, Jr., has a team-high 14 turnovers, including a game-high five against Southern Utah on Friday night. Now, it’s early in the season and there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that McCullar, Jr., is going to help Kansas win a lot of games this year.
However, if he’s going to be at his best, I think we can all agree that he’s got to do a better job of taking care of the basketball, not get sped up, and just play the game.
-- After playing just seven minutes against Southern Utah, I’m really interested to see how the week plays out for MJ Rice, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound guard from Durham, N.C. I know he had an issue with his back and then missed the Duke game because he was sick, but I want to see how he performs when he’s at his best. There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that Rice has the ability to be a difference-maker for Kansas this season. He’s the type of player that can put up points in a variety of ways and can be a bully getting to the paint. He can score through contact, but can also step outside or create off the bounce.
I think the biggest thing for Rice is getting on the court on a regular basis, finding a role, and becoming comfortable with what Self wants/expects from him. I just think he’s got a chance to be a really good player, but just needs some consistency in terms of getting on the court game after game.
