On Friday night, No. 8/7 Kansas moved to 6-1 on the season by defeating St. John’s (5-2), 95-75, inside UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. On a night when the Jayhawks led the Red Storm by just three points, 62-59, with 11:03 left in the game, Kansas pulled away from St. John’s and, in doing so, won its sixth game by double-digits. In moving to 6-1 on the season, Kansas was led by Christian Braun, who scored a career-high 31 points, Ochai Agbaji (23), David McCormack (15), and Remy Martin (12).
First off, this was a game that I had some concerns about heading prior to the tip, but I also had some questions about St. John's and how Mike Anderson would prepare his team for Kansas. Obviously, the Red Storm can score the ball and came into the game averaging about five or so more points than Bill Self's squad. I also knew that Julian Champagnie and, without question, was fired up to make a statement against Kansas. When the lights are the brightest, guys like Champagnie love to shine. He erupted for 32 points, I believe, against Indiana in a two-point loss. This was his opportunity to lead St. John's to a signature win at home.
The Red Storm came close, trailing by just three points with 11:03 left in the game, but as it turned out, St. John's would get no closer.
-- The player of the game, not surprisingly, was Christian Braun. In 34 minutes of action, he scored a career-high 31 points, pulled down eight rebounds, dished out four assists, was credited with three steals, and one block. Offensively, Braun was 10-of-16 from the field, 2-of-4 from behind the arc, and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.
Braun, the 6-foot-7, 218-pound guard from Burlington, Kan., scored just six points against Michigan State, but since that opening game, he’s gone for 15, 11, 16, 17, 18, and 31. Currently, Braun is averaging 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. He’s shooting 61.6 percent from the field, 36.8 percent from behind the arc, and 85.0 percent from the free-throw line. Braun isn’t just a shooter and that’s something he needed to realize, which he has. He’s playing more like he did before he arrived in Lawrence and is playing the best ball of his career. Yes, Braun has the ability to be a difference-maker from behind the arc, but he’s also great at attacking the basket and loves that baseline drive that generally ends with a flush.
I might be alone in my thinking, but Braun has figured out how to play HIS game and looks extremely comfortable doing so.
-- Had it not been for Braun, Ochai Agbaji would have been the best player on the court for Kansas on Friday night. Not wanting to be outdone, Agbaji, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound guard from Kansas City, Mo., finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, and one assist in 35 minutes of action. Scoring-wise, Agbaji hit 9-of-16 field goals and was 5-of-9 from behind the arc. Agbaji, much like Braun, didn’t force anything on Friday night and let everything come his way. His 16-point outburst in the first half allowed things to open up for Braun in the second half, and he took full advantage of that against St. John’s.
If you really look at his game, Agbaji is so comfortable on the offensive end and his shot from behind the arc is on right now. For the season, Agbaji is averaging 22.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. He’s shooting 55.5 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from behind the arc, and 76.2 percent from the free-throw line.
-- It’s been another rough start for David McCormack, the 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward from Norfolk, Va. After starting out last season extremely slow, McCormack figured to get things going from the opening tip of his senior year, but as Kansas fans are well aware, that hasn’t been the case. McCormack went for 10 points against Michigan State, 6 points against Tarleton State, 12 points against Stony Brook, 3 points against North Texas, 5 points against Dayton, 13 points against Iona, and 15 points against St. John’s. Against the Red Storm, McCormack, in 27 minutes, scored 15 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, eight coming on the offensive end of the court. He was 5-of-8 from the field and 5-of-8 from the free-throw line. It’s been a frustrating start for McCormack and as upset as Kansas fans are, privately, he’s more upset than he’ll ever let on. It's not like he planned this slow start before the season started.
It’s been frustrating for McCormack, but he’s finally starting to come around, at least that appears to be the case. After seven games, he’s averaging 9.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He’s shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 59.3 percent from the free-throw line. You can expect both numbers to improve during the season. Self is going to keep giving touches to McCormack and believes that Kansas will be the best version of itself with McCormack playing his best.
-- We still haven’t seen the very best of Remy Martin, the 6-foot-0, 175-pound guard from Chatsworth, Calf. Arriving from Arizona State, Martin was viewed as the transfer that would make Kansas a legitimate National Championship contender, and that’s still very much the case. The thing is, Martin went from a coach that gave him total freedom offensively to a coach that has the highest of expectations for his point guard. It's not just about scoring points, but doing things the way Self wants them done on a nightly basis. Martin, pardon my language, is working his ass off and trying his very best to become the player Self wants, but as we all know, change is never easy.
Still, against St. John’s, Martin scored 12 points, pulled down two rebounds, dished out five assists, was credited with five turnovers, and one steal. In 28 minutes of action, Martin was 5-of-7 from the field, 1-of-3 from behind the arc, and 1-of-1 from the free-throw line. When everything finally clicks for Martin, he’s going to be special. The thing I love, he isn’t forcing anything and is playing team basketball. To me, there isn’t anything at all selfish about his game, and he has a great attitude. Got to limit the turnovers moving forward, but those things are going to happen throughout the season.
After seven games, Martin is averaging 12 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. He’s shooting 55.6 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from behind the arc, and 78.9 percent from the free-throw line. Once everything clicks, watch out.
-- I’m still quite surprised with how much Jalen Wilson has struggled this season. Against St. John’s, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward from Denton, Texas, scored just five points in 15 minutes of action. He did, however, pull down nine rebounds. Offensively, Wilson was just 2-of-8 from the field, 0-of-4 from behind the arc, and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. Wilson is just struggling right now and that’s the bottom line. Self isn’t going to give up on his, the assistants aren’t going to give up on him, and his teammates aren’t going to give up on him. Truthfully, he just needs some good things to happen, which will help his confidence tremendously. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if Self inserted him into the starting lineup just to see if that gives him a boost. At some point, Wilson is going to turn the corner and this stretch will be nothing but a bad memory for the talented forward.
-- Just a few additional thoughts here and nothing more. I’d love to see Joseph Yesufu get some extended minutes in the next couple of games. I really believe that, if given some time on the court, he’d make a significant impact. He played just eight mines against St. John’s and has played double-digit minutes in a game just twice this season. Yesufu just has something about him, in terms of his game, that I love.
-- PART II: I’d love to see Jalen Coleman-Lands also get some extended minutes and let him gain some confidence from behind the arc. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard from Indianapolis, Ind., was brought to Kansas because of his ability to stretch the defense and he hasn’t done much of that YET this season. This season, he’s just 4-of-9 from behind the arc, but against Dayton, Iona, and St. John’s, Coleman-Lands played a total of 16 minutes. It would be great to see some guys get expected minutes against UTEP on Tuesday night.
-- PART III: Bobby Pettiford, K.J. Adams, and Zach Clemence are going to be players for Kansas and will help the team win some games this season. I don’t necessarily care about the stats of these three at this point in the season, just seven games, I’ve seen enough to know that the trio of Pettiford, Adams and Clemence will, without question, help Kansas win some games this season and beyond. Pettiford is so fast with the ball and isn’t afraid to attack the rim, which I love. Adams is going to be a beast on the glass and plays with so much energy and passion. I don’t care about his size or length of arms – he’s a gamer. Clemence was just made for the moment. You call his number and he’s ready to go. He’s going to be a problem, because of his ability to hit shots, throughout his career.
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