Kansas basketball: Jayhawks need strong finish from Svi Mykhailiuk
By Stan Unruh
Kansas basketball is missing many things as they struggle through this tough Big 12 season. The Jayhawks need Svi Mykhailiuk to score.
Kansas basketball fans love Svi Mykhailiuk. It is difficult to believe the young man who arrived, it seems just moments ago, is a senior. We love to shout or tweet, “Svi for three!” The 20-year-old from Ukraine has provided so many amazing moments for Jayhawk fans. We’ve watched him grow up on the basketball court. I don’t even want to admit that he has just three remaining games in Allen Fieldhouse.
Svi is one of the reasons this Kansas basketball has been able to stay in the national conversation and at or near the top of the Big 12 race. He has had some amazing games. The 6-foot-8 hero of the win at Nebraska scored in double-digits twenty times this season. Nine times he scored twenty or more points. When Svi is on, that takes a lot of pressure off his senior running mate Devonte Graham and the rest of the Jayhawks.
When Svi is not on, he usually finds other ways to contribute. His defense this season is much improved. He also rarely turns the ball over. His 42 turnovers in the 25 games this season is a remarkable stat. It is especially impressive when you consider Svi is on the court as many minutes as any other Jayhawk other than Graham.
Svi has struggled in the past two games. He scored 22 points to help secure the win in Manhattan and contributed 17 points in the setback to Oklahoma State. He took just two shots and scored one point against TCU. That is not the Svi we know and love.
The clock is winding down on the regular season
On Saturday, Svi hit one shot and scored two points at Baylor after getting smacked in the eye in pregame warmups. As a matter of fact, he played 36 minutes in both of the last two games. He did hustle his way to 7 rebounds in those contests. It was difficult to watch him holding the ice pack on his black eye during the game.
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There are many issues facing this Kansas basketball team. Some of it is beyond attempting to understand. Those are for the psychologist/coach Self. Some of the issues are due to a dramatic lack of depth. One thing is certain. The Jayhawks needs a strong finish from Svi. If he can get it turned around, this team can still accomplish some great things. We need Svi.