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Kansas basketball: Defending the hoop will require more action from Ochai Agbaji and David McCormack

By Conner Becker

Dec 8, 2020; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Ochai Agbaji (30) and forward David McCormack (33) and Creighton Bluejays guard Marcus Zegarowski (11) fight for a loose ball during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 8, 2020; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Ochai Agbaji (30) and forward David McCormack (33) and Creighton Bluejays guard Marcus Zegarowski (11) fight for a loose ball during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
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 Following the loss to Texas, upperclassmen Ochai Agbaji and David McCormack will need to find more action on defense moving forward in the schedule.

Kansas basketball was handed a 25-point loss at home in their last appearance and it probably didn’t sit too well with fans. What might’ve stood out to some was the defensive trouble we saw from Ochai Agbaji and David McCormack.

While the pair did come together for a collected 10 rebounds, cleaning up the glass didn’t cut it for the Jayhawks on defense. Neither Agbaji nor McCormack were able to find a steal, while Agbaji did secure a block against the Longhorns.

Their lighter numbers stood out following the loss and it’s obvious that some shortcomings are coming from these two on defense.

Both have been reliable defenders in the past, with Agbaji and McCormack putting considerable pressure on the ball. Their defensive presence will need to improve over the next couple of games, hopefully bringing more pressure when protecting the basket.

Kansas has let up a lot of points against tougher opponents, and while this is common for most tight matchups, it shouldn’t go unnoticed. The Jayhawks let up an average of 68 points per game, which could be an issue down the road if we can’t find ways to stay in tough matchups.

We will need Agbaji and McCormack to get back into a rhythm if we want to move away from this statistic.

It’s also important to note that this loss doesn’t fall back on just these two, this was a poor performance by the team and will be one that Kansas will have to improve upon in practice. Locking in on defense has been stressed quite a bit this season and most likely because it’s one of our more threatening shortcomings.

The upcoming schedule features some matchups with TCU and Oklahoma that will allow the Jayhawks to improve their pressure on the ball. Fixing our defensive issues will be a must before our next test against a competitive Oklahoma State team.

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