-- What a night it was for No. 3 Kansas (27-6) in defeating Iowa State, 71-58. After falling behind by one point, 39-38 with 14:21 left in the second half, Jalen Wilson, who led the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds, converted two free throws after being fouled and the Jayhawks never trailed again in the game.
And what a performance it was for Wilson, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward from Denton, Texas. If I remember correctly, Wilson had 11 points at the first media timeout and could do no wrong early on.
In 36 minutes of action, Wilson scored 25 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, and was credited with three steals. He also finished the game with seven turnovers, but his 15 points in the first half were so big for Kansas.
Overall, Wilson shot 8-of-14 from the field, 3-of-7 from behind the arc, and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. He’s been as good as advertised in the first two games of the Big 12 Tournament and will have a chance to build on his performance on Saturday.
-- You guys have heard me say this time and time again, but if Kansas is going to have a truly special season, especially the next month, Gradey Dick, the 6-foot-8, 205-pound guard from Wichita, Kan., will have to be at his best.
After a big performance against West Virginia on Thursday, Dick, against Iowa State, scored 15 points, pulled down five rebounds, dished out one assist, blocked one shot, and was credited with three steals in 36 minutes of action.
For the game, Dick converted 4-of-10 field goals, 2-of-6 shots from behind the arc, and was 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. Up by nine points with 3:07 left in the game, Dick spotted up from behind the arc and drilled a three, which increased KU’s lead over ISU to 12 points.
Iowa State was hoping to make a final run at Kansas, but Dick had other plans and shut the door on any hopes the Cyclones had of rallying late in the game. The three that Dick hit late against Iowa State, those are the shots that are completely demoralizing to an opponent. Just when you think that you’ve pulled to within striking distance, or are on the verge of doing so, Dick stepped up and hit a three that gave Kansas all of the momentum.
If Dick can drill two or three or four of those a game, he’ll continue to make Kansas a completely different team.
-- After the game, I was talking to a few guys in the media about the play of Dajuan Harris, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound guard from Columbia, Mo. To me, and I know many of you will agree, it's truly amazing how little respect Harris receives, at least from a national perspective, despite how important he is to this Kansas team.
Harris, in 36 minutes of action against Iowa State, scored 11 points, pulled down two rebounds, dished out six assists, committed three turnovers, blocked one shot, and was credited with four steals. With Kevin McCullar, Jr., out for much of the game, played just 12 minutes, Harris was the primary ballhandler for much of the game, so when facing a team like Iowa State, it’s understandable when looking at the three turnovers.
The only thing that Harris has done since arriving at Kansas, and I mean the only he’s done, is win. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in the Big 12 is one of the two most important players on this Kansas team and is the engine that makes this machine run.
This isn’t a knock on Bobby Pettiford or Joseph Yesufu, but if anything ever happened to Harris, Kansas, without question, would be in real trouble. Offensively and defensively, he’s just so damn good on both ends of the court. Tonight, he didn’t force anything from behind the arc and was aggressive in attacking the basket.
-- The beat goes on and on for KJ Adams, Jr., the 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward from Austin, Texas. When the season started, I absolutely believed that Zach Clemence or Ernest Udeh, Jr., would earn a spot in the starting rotation at the five spot, and I think a lot of people felt that way, but we were all wrong.
There was no doubt in my mind that Adams, Jr., was going to log a lot of minutes, but I didn’t expect him to emerge as the player he’s become. It wasn’t a career night or anything, but in scoring eight points, pulling down four rebounds, and dishing out four assists, Adams, Jr., brought the energy against Iowa State on Friday night.
When Adams, Jr., is flying above the rim for dunks and bringing that energy, it's so infectious and other guys feed off that on both ends of the court. Again, he might not be the biggest guy on the court and he isn’t the most athletic, but he brings a style of play and plays a role that is perfect for this Kansas team.
-- I’m really not sure what else Kansas can do to earn the right to play in Kansas City on the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Having won the Big 12 regular season championship outright and having advanced to the championship game of the Big 12 tournament, is there really anything left to prove?
Without Coach Bill Self on the sidelines and without Kevin McCullar for much of the night and day-to-day looking ahead to tomorrow, there’s no doubt that Kansas, in my opinion, should start in Des Moines and then Kansas City and, if they win those two games, head to Houston, Texas, which is the site of the Final Four.
Obviously, Kansas would have to win two games in Iowa before coming home to Kansas City, but I think the Jayhawks have done more than enough to play in KC that second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
And what a performance it was for Wilson, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward from Denton, Texas. If I remember correctly, Wilson had 11 points at the first media timeout and could do no wrong early on.
In 36 minutes of action, Wilson scored 25 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, and was credited with three steals. He also finished the game with seven turnovers, but his 15 points in the first half were so big for Kansas.
Overall, Wilson shot 8-of-14 from the field, 3-of-7 from behind the arc, and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. He’s been as good as advertised in the first two games of the Big 12 Tournament and will have a chance to build on his performance on Saturday.
-- You guys have heard me say this time and time again, but if Kansas is going to have a truly special season, especially the next month, Gradey Dick, the 6-foot-8, 205-pound guard from Wichita, Kan., will have to be at his best.
After a big performance against West Virginia on Thursday, Dick, against Iowa State, scored 15 points, pulled down five rebounds, dished out one assist, blocked one shot, and was credited with three steals in 36 minutes of action.
For the game, Dick converted 4-of-10 field goals, 2-of-6 shots from behind the arc, and was 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. Up by nine points with 3:07 left in the game, Dick spotted up from behind the arc and drilled a three, which increased KU’s lead over ISU to 12 points.
Iowa State was hoping to make a final run at Kansas, but Dick had other plans and shut the door on any hopes the Cyclones had of rallying late in the game. The three that Dick hit late against Iowa State, those are the shots that are completely demoralizing to an opponent. Just when you think that you’ve pulled to within striking distance, or are on the verge of doing so, Dick stepped up and hit a three that gave Kansas all of the momentum.
If Dick can drill two or three or four of those a game, he’ll continue to make Kansas a completely different team.
-- After the game, I was talking to a few guys in the media about the play of Dajuan Harris, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound guard from Columbia, Mo. To me, and I know many of you will agree, it's truly amazing how little respect Harris receives, at least from a national perspective, despite how important he is to this Kansas team.
Harris, in 36 minutes of action against Iowa State, scored 11 points, pulled down two rebounds, dished out six assists, committed three turnovers, blocked one shot, and was credited with four steals. With Kevin McCullar, Jr., out for much of the game, played just 12 minutes, Harris was the primary ballhandler for much of the game, so when facing a team like Iowa State, it’s understandable when looking at the three turnovers.
The only thing that Harris has done since arriving at Kansas, and I mean the only he’s done, is win. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in the Big 12 is one of the two most important players on this Kansas team and is the engine that makes this machine run.
This isn’t a knock on Bobby Pettiford or Joseph Yesufu, but if anything ever happened to Harris, Kansas, without question, would be in real trouble. Offensively and defensively, he’s just so damn good on both ends of the court. Tonight, he didn’t force anything from behind the arc and was aggressive in attacking the basket.
-- The beat goes on and on for KJ Adams, Jr., the 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward from Austin, Texas. When the season started, I absolutely believed that Zach Clemence or Ernest Udeh, Jr., would earn a spot in the starting rotation at the five spot, and I think a lot of people felt that way, but we were all wrong.
There was no doubt in my mind that Adams, Jr., was going to log a lot of minutes, but I didn’t expect him to emerge as the player he’s become. It wasn’t a career night or anything, but in scoring eight points, pulling down four rebounds, and dishing out four assists, Adams, Jr., brought the energy against Iowa State on Friday night.
When Adams, Jr., is flying above the rim for dunks and bringing that energy, it's so infectious and other guys feed off that on both ends of the court. Again, he might not be the biggest guy on the court and he isn’t the most athletic, but he brings a style of play and plays a role that is perfect for this Kansas team.
-- I’m really not sure what else Kansas can do to earn the right to play in Kansas City on the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Having won the Big 12 regular season championship outright and having advanced to the championship game of the Big 12 tournament, is there really anything left to prove?
Without Coach Bill Self on the sidelines and without Kevin McCullar for much of the night and day-to-day looking ahead to tomorrow, there’s no doubt that Kansas, in my opinion, should start in Des Moines and then Kansas City and, if they win those two games, head to Houston, Texas, which is the site of the Final Four.
Obviously, Kansas would have to win two games in Iowa before coming home to Kansas City, but I think the Jayhawks have done more than enough to play in KC that second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
