The Kansas basketball team is in good shape after four Big 12 Conference games. Here is what we learned following the win 83-78 win over Iowa State.
Kansas basketball moved into a tie for second place in the conference race with Tuesday night’s win at Allen Fieldhouse. As a matter of fact, Bill Self’s team is only looking up at West Virginia. The Jayhawks will battle Huggins and Company next week. The Mountaineers survived a battle Tuesday with Baylor in Morgantown.
One of the biggest things we learned Tuesday night is that Malik Newman is alive and well. The sophomore transfer from Mississippi State is an amazing talent but has struggled most of the season. Newman came out of his funk and played the way Bill Self desperately needs. The Big 12 preseason Newcomer of the Year attacked the rim and hit 10 of 21 shots for a team high 27 points. He score 19 of those in the second half.
In addition, he hustled to eight rebounds and played strong defense. His blocked shot on Donovan Jackson’s three-point attempt was one of the game’s highlights. Newman didn’t stop with the block on the player who shot down the Jayhawks last season.. He grabbed the ball and raced for a dramatic layup. If he continues to play this way, it will have a huge impact going forward.
Newman’s big game took some pressure off of Devonte Graham. For most of the game Graham struggled to hit a shot. He also looked worn out after his huge 27-point effort to lead the Jayhawks over TCU on Saturday night in Fort Worth. The senior guard finished strong but did not appear 100 percent healthy.
Jayhawks must score in the paint too
By now we all know this Jayhawk team loves to shoot from beyond the arc. On the other hand, the team needs more balance. They can’t continue to win the way they did Tuesday. It is a recipe for disaster.
Svi Mykhailiuk opened Tuesday night’s game on fire. The senior hit five of his first eight shots. The rest of the team decided to keep shooting threes and ignored Udokah Azubuike. Svi had a big night with 23 points but this team needs to get the ball to Dok. The 7-foot sophomore waited for his first shot attempt until 2:34 of the first half Tuesday. That can’t be what Self wants to see.
Lagerald Vick is healthy and back on track but couldn’t hit from beyond the arc Tuesday. His 8 points were important to the win but his 8 rebounds and defense often go unnoticed. Late in the game, Vick had two rebound, put-back dunks that got the Allen Fieldhouse crowd roaring. During that spurt, Vick also got a steal when the Cyclones were trying to make a run.
Marcus Garrett continues to impress. Self had him in the starting lineup again. The freshman played only 15 minutes but hit his only 3-point attempt on the way to 5 points, 2 rebounds an assist and a steal. Mitch Lightfoot saw the court for only 11 minutes on Tuesday. He didn’t score but had a big blocked shot and a rebound and just one foul.
It was a difficult night for Sam Cunliffe. In the first half, Self put him in the game and took him out 2-seconds later after the Arizona State transfer missed a defensive assignment. Cunliffe missed his only shot, committed a couple of fouls and had a turnover in his 2 minutes on the court.
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Four Jayhawks played 34 minutes or more against the ‘Clones. Considering the tough schedule ahead, they need to rest. They Jayhawks have this season’s first Saturday-Monday games coming up. They will be ready for the Sunflower Showdown Saturday morning. The big question is what will this team do to steal a Big Monday victory in Morgantown.