Kansas basketball: Mitch Lightfoot makes strong case for more minutes

Kansas basketball fan-favorite Mitch Lightfoot made a strong case for more playing time in the Jayhawks’ win over Omaha.

Redshirt senior Mitch Lightfoot does a lot of things right. There’s no question that he always plays hard, his defense is top-tier, and he’s been looking pretty good on offense as well. Last Friday in Kansas basketball’s 95-50 win, Lightfoot scored 14 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots in only 14 minutes.

It’s true that Omaha isn’t the best team in the world; however, Lightfoot should be able to contribute even when the Jayhawks start their Big 12 schedule. Kansas is set to play Texas Tech on the road to begin conference play on December 17.

While Lightfoot’s stats were great last week, he also does a lot of things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. He took multiple charges against Omaha, and he’s also known for diving for loose balls. Maybe even more iconic is Lightfoot’s “no easy buckets” attitude when it comes to protecting the rim.

With Lightfoot’s style, you get a guy that can come off the bench and give his team a spark. By taking a charge, blocking a shot, or throwing down a dunk, Lightfoot can change the momentum of games and give his team an edge.

It seems like there’s always a Big 12 game where Kansas basketball plays flat before Lightfoot comes off of the bench and brings some much-needed energy. If the Jayhawks can get that every game, they should be a better team for it.

Regularly seeing a lineup of Marcus Garrett, Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun, Jalen Wilson, and Mitch Lightfoot would be a lot of fun, but don’t discount David McCormack yet. McCormack has looked and played better recently, and he should retain his spot in the starting lineup for now.

Mitch should get around 15 minutes per game right now depending on the circumstances. His output last Friday shows that he’s ready for the increase, and with any luck, he’ll get an opportunity on the road against Texas Tech later this week.