Kansas basketball: Ochai Agbaji emerging as the ‘glue’ for the Jayhawks in tight games, remaining consistent will be crucial.
In ‘close calls’ Ochai Agbaji has remained a trusted figure on the court for Kansas basketball. With more tough tests to follow, keeping Agbaji in this role will be a must for the Jayhawks.
Throughout the first nine games of the season, Kansas basketball has seen its share of challenges, as well as its share of fortunate wins. In these close meetings, we’ve seen quite a bit of resilience from junior guard Ochai Agbaji.
The upperclassman leads the Jayhawks in scoring this season and will likely remain a dominant figure at the basket. At 6-5, he is one of the taller guys on our starting five and often finds success on his inside attack.
Great inbounds play by Bill Self. Game winning basket by Ochai Agbaji for Kansas. pic.twitter.com/lws6rjR0Ui
— Mark Cundiff (@MarkyFutures) December 18, 2020
In his road appearance at Texas Tech, he posted 23 points and 10 total rebounds. Having Agbaji getting this kind of action, especially during versus a tough opponent, is going to go a long way for Kansas as the season progresses.
From here, I would imagine Agbaji will continue to become more of a leading figure on both sides of the court and will find an extensive role on the bench. With the young talent we have been witness to so far, it’s a good sign that Agbaji is stepping into a leadership role of sorts.
Only time will tell whether or not Agbaji’s consistent numbers hold. The junior has averaged 12-13 points each game, except for Creighton where he didn’t find a score. Keeping Agbaji healthy and ready to go with this starting five will contribute to having him as an integral part of this roster.
Agbaji should remain a valuable asset for the Jayhawks as they progress through the rest of the season. Consistency from the starting five and the goal of capturing another conference championship will likely be on head coach Bill Self’s mind we head into 2021.
As the season pushes on, Kansas has a few conference match-ups leading up their next big test, which is considerably the January 18th road test with Baylor who stands at #2 in the latest AP poll. Both the Bears and Jayhawks will likely be giving the strongest efforts to capture the conference title and earn a top seed in the National Tournament.