-- On Tuesday night, No. 8 Kansas defeated No. 7 Kansas State, 90-78 to move to 18-4 overall and 6-3 in Big 12 play. After dropping two-straight games, Bill Self’s squad responded by defeating Kentucky on Saturday and in-state rival K-State on Tuesday night.
In defeating Kansas State, Kansas was led by Jalen Wilson, who scored a team-high 20 points, pulled down 8 rebounds, dished out four assists, committed three fouls, and was credited with one steal in 39 minutes of action.
Wilson, against Kansas State, was just 5-of-15 from the field and 4-of-9 from behind the arc, but also converted 6-of-8 free throws. His fourth and final three-pointer of the game came with 13:20 left in the second half, and it was a big one.
Leading by nine points and looking to increase its lead over Kansas State, Wilson squared up from behind the arc and drilled one of the biggest shots of the game. KSU had cut the deficit to nine points on the previous possession following a layup by Nae’Qwan Tomlin. Kansas absolutely needed to keep the pressure on Kansas State, so Wilson couldn’t have picked a better time to drill a three.
Wilson, without question, is playing at an All-American level right now and doesn’t appear to be slowing down at all. Wilson has scored 133 points over his last five games, which marks the most points by a Kansas player in a five-game stretch since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996-97. Wilson now sits in 37th on the Kansas all-time career scoring list, passing W He’s on fire right now and, if he continues at this clip, Kansas is going to be difficult to beat moving forward.
-- After going through somewhat of a difficult stretch, Dajuan Harris is back to playing at the level Kansas fans are accustomed to seeing from KU’s point guard. Harris, against the Wildcats, scored 18 points, dished out two assists, committed three fouls, and was credited with one block in 34 minutes of action.
Offensively, Harris was 7-of-12 from the field, 2-of-6 from behind the arc, and 2-of-4 from the free-throw line. Harris, without question, made some big plays on Tuesday night, especially in the second half.
For Harris, his jumper with 15:29 left in the second half put Kansas up by 8 points and, with 9:56 left on the clock, his drive to the basket increased KU’s lead over KSU to 72-57. Kansas State, with 3:31 left in the game, pulled to within 10 points and the Wildcats were in position to make what appeared to be a final run, but that changed following a made three-pointer by Harris.
His final layup of the game, which came with 1:24 remaining in the contest, was the final touches on a memorable evening, as Kansas saw its lead over Kansas State balloon to 87-74.
If Kansas is going to make a deep run in March, and this team is fully capable of making a deep run, Harris will need to be at his best. That, for the most part, was certainly the case on Tuesday night.
-- It was another solid outing for senior guard Kevin McCullar, Jr., who tallied 16 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and committed 5 fouls. He also added one block and two steals in 30 minutes of action. In scoring 16 points, McCullar, Jr., was 2-of-10 from the field, 2-of-3 from behind the arc, and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line.
His second and final three-point make of the game, which came with 15:05 left in the second half, put Kansas up by 11 points, 59-48. His two made free throws with 5:10 left in the game put Kansas up by 14 points. He capped off KU’s scoring for the night when his free throw with 48 seconds left in the game dropped through the net.
Obviously, in terms of shooting against Kansas State, it was a struggle all night for McCullar, Jr. Still, he found a way to make some big plays and was an absolute force on the glass. Much like Harris, if Kansas is going to reach its ceiling, McCullar, Jr., will need to be at his best moving forward.
In defeating Kansas State, Kansas was led by Jalen Wilson, who scored a team-high 20 points, pulled down 8 rebounds, dished out four assists, committed three fouls, and was credited with one steal in 39 minutes of action.
Wilson, against Kansas State, was just 5-of-15 from the field and 4-of-9 from behind the arc, but also converted 6-of-8 free throws. His fourth and final three-pointer of the game came with 13:20 left in the second half, and it was a big one.
Leading by nine points and looking to increase its lead over Kansas State, Wilson squared up from behind the arc and drilled one of the biggest shots of the game. KSU had cut the deficit to nine points on the previous possession following a layup by Nae’Qwan Tomlin. Kansas absolutely needed to keep the pressure on Kansas State, so Wilson couldn’t have picked a better time to drill a three.
Wilson, without question, is playing at an All-American level right now and doesn’t appear to be slowing down at all. Wilson has scored 133 points over his last five games, which marks the most points by a Kansas player in a five-game stretch since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996-97. Wilson now sits in 37th on the Kansas all-time career scoring list, passing W He’s on fire right now and, if he continues at this clip, Kansas is going to be difficult to beat moving forward.
-- After going through somewhat of a difficult stretch, Dajuan Harris is back to playing at the level Kansas fans are accustomed to seeing from KU’s point guard. Harris, against the Wildcats, scored 18 points, dished out two assists, committed three fouls, and was credited with one block in 34 minutes of action.
Offensively, Harris was 7-of-12 from the field, 2-of-6 from behind the arc, and 2-of-4 from the free-throw line. Harris, without question, made some big plays on Tuesday night, especially in the second half.
For Harris, his jumper with 15:29 left in the second half put Kansas up by 8 points and, with 9:56 left on the clock, his drive to the basket increased KU’s lead over KSU to 72-57. Kansas State, with 3:31 left in the game, pulled to within 10 points and the Wildcats were in position to make what appeared to be a final run, but that changed following a made three-pointer by Harris.
His final layup of the game, which came with 1:24 remaining in the contest, was the final touches on a memorable evening, as Kansas saw its lead over Kansas State balloon to 87-74.
If Kansas is going to make a deep run in March, and this team is fully capable of making a deep run, Harris will need to be at his best. That, for the most part, was certainly the case on Tuesday night.
-- It was another solid outing for senior guard Kevin McCullar, Jr., who tallied 16 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and committed 5 fouls. He also added one block and two steals in 30 minutes of action. In scoring 16 points, McCullar, Jr., was 2-of-10 from the field, 2-of-3 from behind the arc, and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line.
His second and final three-point make of the game, which came with 15:05 left in the second half, put Kansas up by 11 points, 59-48. His two made free throws with 5:10 left in the game put Kansas up by 14 points. He capped off KU’s scoring for the night when his free throw with 48 seconds left in the game dropped through the net.
Obviously, in terms of shooting against Kansas State, it was a struggle all night for McCullar, Jr. Still, he found a way to make some big plays and was an absolute force on the glass. Much like Harris, if Kansas is going to reach its ceiling, McCullar, Jr., will need to be at his best moving forward.
