I'm sure that most, if not all of you, saw what took place in Lubbock, Texas tonight. Kansas fell to Texas Tech, 79-50. I'm not going to waste a lot of your time with a long, long breakdown, but I'm going to provide you with some key takeaways, at least from my view, following the game.
-- First, there was no Kevin McCullar, Jr., tonight and I've got no idea when he's going to return. Self, on Saturday, said he could hardly move, so he couldn't envision him being ready tonight. That turned out to be the case, as McCullar, Jr., missed his second straight game.
-- Hunter Dickinson scored 5 points and pulled down 7 rebounds in 30 minutes of action. He was 2-of-12 from the field, 0-of-2 from behind the arc, and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. He needs to be attempting way more than two free throws per game. Rought night for KU's big man.
-- Dajuan Harris tallied 7 points, one rebound three assists, three turnovers, one block, and one steal in 36 minutes of action. In all, Harris was 2-of-8 from the field, 0-of-3 from behind the arc, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. Much like Dickinson, he made a few nice plays but missed way too many bunnies. That continues to be a major problem.
-- Johnny Furphy, and this isn't a knock on any other players, but always seems like he's trying hard and looking to make the hustle plays. On Monday night, he finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, and 1 block in 32 minutes of action. Offensively, he was 4-of-8 from the field, 1-of-3 from behind the arc, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
-- Talk about a frustrating night for KJ Adams, Jr. In 36 minutes of action, Adams, Jr., scored five points, pulled down three rebounds, and dished out three assists. Against Texas Tech, he was 1-of-10 from the field, 0-of-1 from behind the arc, and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. I'm not sure if anybody else feels the same way, but Adams, Jr., appeared to be sped up tonight and was throwing shots hard off the glass and never looked comfortable.
-- Nicolas Timberlake had himself a game, I guess, if you're looking for some type of positive. In 25 minutes of action, he scored 13 points, on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 shooting from behind the arc. He also pulled down three rebounds and committed three turnovers.
-- Off the bench, Elamrko Jackson finished with seven points, one rebound, and two steals. Aside from Jackson, nobody else scored off the bench for Kansas on Monday night.
-- Just some stats to consider. Kansas shot 17-of-52 (32.7%) from the field, 3-of-16 (18.8%) from behind the arc, and 13-of-17 (76.5%) from the free-throw line.
-- Texas Tech, on the other hand, shot 27-of-55 (49.1%) from the field, 10-of-26 (38.5%) from behind the arc, and 15-of-22 (68.2%) from the free-throw line.
-- Kansas was dominated on the glass, 42-26.
-- For the game, Kansas scored 7 points off the bench, 20 points in the paint, 4 points off turnovers, 0-second chance points, pulled down 4 offensive rebounds, scored 11 fastbreak points, went 8-of-14 on layups, 2-of-2 on dunks, scored .806 points per possessions, dished out 11 assists to just nine turnovers.
-- Really, this was never a game. Texas Tech drew first blood and Kansas never really responded. The Red Raiders were hot from behind the arc, had a number of open looks, and just kept rolling. Listen, I've got no idea how long Kevin McCullar, Jr., is going to be out, but the Jayhawks have a little time to look in the mirror long and hard after this loss and decide what direction they ultimately want to head in terms of moving forward the rest of the season.
Now, I'm not being negative or anything like that, but at some point, pride has to become a factor and there is still plenty of talent on this team. There are some questions about this team only they answer.
-- First, there was no Kevin McCullar, Jr., tonight and I've got no idea when he's going to return. Self, on Saturday, said he could hardly move, so he couldn't envision him being ready tonight. That turned out to be the case, as McCullar, Jr., missed his second straight game.
-- Hunter Dickinson scored 5 points and pulled down 7 rebounds in 30 minutes of action. He was 2-of-12 from the field, 0-of-2 from behind the arc, and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. He needs to be attempting way more than two free throws per game. Rought night for KU's big man.
-- Dajuan Harris tallied 7 points, one rebound three assists, three turnovers, one block, and one steal in 36 minutes of action. In all, Harris was 2-of-8 from the field, 0-of-3 from behind the arc, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. Much like Dickinson, he made a few nice plays but missed way too many bunnies. That continues to be a major problem.
-- Johnny Furphy, and this isn't a knock on any other players, but always seems like he's trying hard and looking to make the hustle plays. On Monday night, he finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, and 1 block in 32 minutes of action. Offensively, he was 4-of-8 from the field, 1-of-3 from behind the arc, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
-- Talk about a frustrating night for KJ Adams, Jr. In 36 minutes of action, Adams, Jr., scored five points, pulled down three rebounds, and dished out three assists. Against Texas Tech, he was 1-of-10 from the field, 0-of-1 from behind the arc, and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. I'm not sure if anybody else feels the same way, but Adams, Jr., appeared to be sped up tonight and was throwing shots hard off the glass and never looked comfortable.
-- Nicolas Timberlake had himself a game, I guess, if you're looking for some type of positive. In 25 minutes of action, he scored 13 points, on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 shooting from behind the arc. He also pulled down three rebounds and committed three turnovers.
-- Off the bench, Elamrko Jackson finished with seven points, one rebound, and two steals. Aside from Jackson, nobody else scored off the bench for Kansas on Monday night.
-- Just some stats to consider. Kansas shot 17-of-52 (32.7%) from the field, 3-of-16 (18.8%) from behind the arc, and 13-of-17 (76.5%) from the free-throw line.
-- Texas Tech, on the other hand, shot 27-of-55 (49.1%) from the field, 10-of-26 (38.5%) from behind the arc, and 15-of-22 (68.2%) from the free-throw line.
-- Kansas was dominated on the glass, 42-26.
-- For the game, Kansas scored 7 points off the bench, 20 points in the paint, 4 points off turnovers, 0-second chance points, pulled down 4 offensive rebounds, scored 11 fastbreak points, went 8-of-14 on layups, 2-of-2 on dunks, scored .806 points per possessions, dished out 11 assists to just nine turnovers.
-- Really, this was never a game. Texas Tech drew first blood and Kansas never really responded. The Red Raiders were hot from behind the arc, had a number of open looks, and just kept rolling. Listen, I've got no idea how long Kevin McCullar, Jr., is going to be out, but the Jayhawks have a little time to look in the mirror long and hard after this loss and decide what direction they ultimately want to head in terms of moving forward the rest of the season.
Now, I'm not being negative or anything like that, but at some point, pride has to become a factor and there is still plenty of talent on this team. There are some questions about this team only they answer.
