After trailing by double-digits in the first half, No. 7 Kansas rallied to slip past No. 20 Kentucky, 65-62 on Tuesday night. It certainly wasn’t a pretty performance by either team, and it won’t go down as an intense or epic battle, but No. 7 Kansas (2-1) and No. 20 Kentucky (1-2) squared off once again on the hardwood on Tuesday night. Playing in the Champions Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., Kansas, after trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half, cut the deficit to six points at the half and, after trading leads in the second half, slipped past Kentucky, 65-62.
Jalen Wilson had a career night with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Ochai Agbaji added 17 points and five rebounds, and Kansas needed every one of those points scored by Wilson and Agbaji. I posted video of Bill Self, Ochai Agbaji, and Jalen Wilson on the front of the site, and I'll have more on this game in the morning, but wanted to start with a few things that stood out about this game.
-- First, Jalen Wilson was an absolute stud in the second half. After scoring just two points in the first half, Wilson erupted for 21 points in the second half and finished with 10 rebounds. In 21 minutes of action, he was 7-of-12 from behind the field, 2-of-4 from behind the arc, and 5-of-7 from the free-throw line. Just how good was Wilson against Kentucky? Well, simply put, Kansas doesn't win the game without him having a career night. The back-to-back threes he made, along with the layup, might have been the three biggest plays of the game. After tying the game on his second three, Kansas wouldn't trail again. Dajuan Harris, and I'll get to him later, hit two free-throws on the next trip down the court for Kansas, which gave the Jayhawks a two point lead. However, had it not been for the clutch threes by Wilson, the outcome likely wouldn't have been the same. 23 points and 10 rebounds.
-- Once again, Ochai Agbaji came up clutch for Kansas during the most important moments of the game. In scoring 17 points and pulling down five rebounds, Agbaji was 5-of-17 from the field, 3-of-9 from behind the arc, and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. He scored the first five points of the game for Kansas and was even more impressive in the final minutes of the game. The momentum of the game completely flipped to Kansas following a mini run by Agbaji. With the game tied with 2:45 left in the second half, Agbaji drilled a three pointer and, following a steal by Dajuan Harris on the next trip down the court, Agbaji flew through the air for a dunk, which put Kansas up by five points. His two free-throws with 10 seconds left in the game put Kansas up 10 and he didn't allow Davion Mintz to get a clean look at a potential game tying three.
-- Let's spend a little time here talking about sophomore guard Christian Braun. Yes, Tuesday night was a struggle for Braun on the offensive end of the court. He scored just 8 points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field, 0-of-4 shooting from behind the arc, and 4-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line. However, he pulled down 13 HUGE rebounds, blocked two shots, and was credited with two steals. Agbaji, prior to making two huge free-throws late in the game, missed two free throws second earlier. However, instead of Kentucky inching closer to Kansas on the scoreboard, Braun pulled down the offensive rebound and was fouled. For Braun, it simply wasn't his night on the offensive end of the court. He did finish with eight points and had a couple of big buckets, but it was his 13 total rebounds that made the biggest difference for Kansas on Tuesday night.
-- Moving forward, Coach Self is going to have a difficult time, at least in my opinion, keeping Dajuan Harris out of the starting lineup. Just like against St. Joseph's, Harris was, without question, a huge spark off the bench for Kansas, especially in the second half. He isn't the biggest guard or strongest, but he might be the toughest for his size. Against Kentucky, Harris scored two points (2-of-2 from the free-throw line), dished out five assists, was credited with one block, four steals, and didn't commit a single turnover in 23 minutes of action. Really, the only thing that needs to be said is Harris is a gamer. He just makes things happen when Self brings him into the game off the bench.
-- Lastly, just a quick note on Marcus Garrett, who had originally decided not to play on Tuesday, but after talking to a family member (I believe Coach Self said his uncle), made the decision to play after not feeling well at all. In starting against Kentucky, Garrett, in 35 minutes, scored eight points, pulled down five rebounds, dished out one assists, was credited with one steal and three turnovers. His effort on the defensive end of the court, even when not at 100 percent, is at a completely different level.
-- As a team, Kentucky was just 22-of-61 from the field, and 3-of-21 from behind the arc. The Wildcats were out-rebounded by four and didn't have a player score more than 12 points. Brandon Boston and Davion Mintz scored 12 points each for Kentucky.
Jalen Wilson had a career night with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Ochai Agbaji added 17 points and five rebounds, and Kansas needed every one of those points scored by Wilson and Agbaji. I posted video of Bill Self, Ochai Agbaji, and Jalen Wilson on the front of the site, and I'll have more on this game in the morning, but wanted to start with a few things that stood out about this game.
-- First, Jalen Wilson was an absolute stud in the second half. After scoring just two points in the first half, Wilson erupted for 21 points in the second half and finished with 10 rebounds. In 21 minutes of action, he was 7-of-12 from behind the field, 2-of-4 from behind the arc, and 5-of-7 from the free-throw line. Just how good was Wilson against Kentucky? Well, simply put, Kansas doesn't win the game without him having a career night. The back-to-back threes he made, along with the layup, might have been the three biggest plays of the game. After tying the game on his second three, Kansas wouldn't trail again. Dajuan Harris, and I'll get to him later, hit two free-throws on the next trip down the court for Kansas, which gave the Jayhawks a two point lead. However, had it not been for the clutch threes by Wilson, the outcome likely wouldn't have been the same. 23 points and 10 rebounds.
-- Once again, Ochai Agbaji came up clutch for Kansas during the most important moments of the game. In scoring 17 points and pulling down five rebounds, Agbaji was 5-of-17 from the field, 3-of-9 from behind the arc, and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. He scored the first five points of the game for Kansas and was even more impressive in the final minutes of the game. The momentum of the game completely flipped to Kansas following a mini run by Agbaji. With the game tied with 2:45 left in the second half, Agbaji drilled a three pointer and, following a steal by Dajuan Harris on the next trip down the court, Agbaji flew through the air for a dunk, which put Kansas up by five points. His two free-throws with 10 seconds left in the game put Kansas up 10 and he didn't allow Davion Mintz to get a clean look at a potential game tying three.
-- Let's spend a little time here talking about sophomore guard Christian Braun. Yes, Tuesday night was a struggle for Braun on the offensive end of the court. He scored just 8 points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field, 0-of-4 shooting from behind the arc, and 4-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line. However, he pulled down 13 HUGE rebounds, blocked two shots, and was credited with two steals. Agbaji, prior to making two huge free-throws late in the game, missed two free throws second earlier. However, instead of Kentucky inching closer to Kansas on the scoreboard, Braun pulled down the offensive rebound and was fouled. For Braun, it simply wasn't his night on the offensive end of the court. He did finish with eight points and had a couple of big buckets, but it was his 13 total rebounds that made the biggest difference for Kansas on Tuesday night.
-- Moving forward, Coach Self is going to have a difficult time, at least in my opinion, keeping Dajuan Harris out of the starting lineup. Just like against St. Joseph's, Harris was, without question, a huge spark off the bench for Kansas, especially in the second half. He isn't the biggest guard or strongest, but he might be the toughest for his size. Against Kentucky, Harris scored two points (2-of-2 from the free-throw line), dished out five assists, was credited with one block, four steals, and didn't commit a single turnover in 23 minutes of action. Really, the only thing that needs to be said is Harris is a gamer. He just makes things happen when Self brings him into the game off the bench.
-- Lastly, just a quick note on Marcus Garrett, who had originally decided not to play on Tuesday, but after talking to a family member (I believe Coach Self said his uncle), made the decision to play after not feeling well at all. In starting against Kentucky, Garrett, in 35 minutes, scored eight points, pulled down five rebounds, dished out one assists, was credited with one steal and three turnovers. His effort on the defensive end of the court, even when not at 100 percent, is at a completely different level.
-- As a team, Kentucky was just 22-of-61 from the field, and 3-of-21 from behind the arc. The Wildcats were out-rebounded by four and didn't have a player score more than 12 points. Brandon Boston and Davion Mintz scored 12 points each for Kentucky.
