Kansas basketball found their first loss in the season opener in Fort Myers, falling to Gonzaga 102-90.
Not the best look for Kansas basketball as today’s season opener ended in a tough 102-90 loss. Not the best look for this highly rated Jayhawk team.
Starting flat, Kansas found themselves struggling on the defensive side of the ball. We didn’t see Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert miss a beat in the first half, as he was able to mount a ridiculous offensive advantage against Kansas in the first. Kispert would remain a dominant force at the basket, totaling 23 points on the day.
Kansas made a solid rebound at the end of the first half, coming within a point of the Bulldogs. As the game progressed into the second half, we saw the competitiveness remain in the early minutes of the game.
This was in part due to Marcus Garrett’s relentless patience on offense. This was a very solid performance for Garrett. He seemed to always be alive, finding 4 rebounds and leading the Jayhawk’s baskets with 22 points.
We definitely will rely on Garrett’s endurance moving further into the schedule. I was also impressed with sophomore guard Christian Braun, who went 2-3 from the 3-point line today. This is good news for any changes that might’ve come from the off-season.
Despite some of the positives we saw on offense, it’s important to look at where Kansas came up short. While we did see Jalen Wilson start in today’s game, he didn’t show up as much as we may have hoped. Wilson posted only 11 points in his first start, but he did find 4 solid rebounds. Kansas struggled to rotate the ball on offense, oftentimes giving up steals on simple, quick passes. The Jayhawks would turn the ball over 15 times on the day.
Defensively, Kansas is going to have to step up their game. Gonzaga does have a fast-paced offense and it ripped Kansas open in the paint. Kispert was the go-to man for the Bulldogs, and this quick, throw and go to Kispert was the main reason for the quick lead in the first half.
Kansas didn’t find the strength to step back into contention by the end of the day. The Jayhawks let Gonzaga rack up over 100 points, which is extremely uncommon for Kansas basketball. I wouldn’t sound the alarms, Gonzaga is worthy of their top tier rank and will be causing issues for defenses across the country this year.
The Jayhawks didn’t find a win on Thanksgiving this year but will be back in action tomorrow against St. Joseph’s as they close out their time in Fort Myers for the Rocket Mortgage Tip-Off (1:00 PM CT).