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Kansas basketball: Cleaning up the glass could be an ‘achilles’ heel’ for TCU as Kansas returns home from road losing stint.

By Conner Becker

Jan 5, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward David McCormack (33) and guard Tristan Enaruna (13) battle for a loose ball with TCU Horned Frogs guard PJ Fuller (4) during the first half at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 5, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward David McCormack (33) and guard Tristan Enaruna (13) battle for a loose ball with TCU Horned Frogs guard PJ Fuller (4) during the first half at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Thursday should serve as another effort from Kansas basketball to get their season back on track. An opportunity to find an edge might come with cleaning up the glass against the Horned Frogs.

Kansas basketball will return home to Lawrence looking to end their recent three game losing streak. The matchup with TCU presents an opportunity for Kansas to pick up a win, but the real advantage for the Jayhawks could be defensive rebounds.

Struggling to stop the offensive attack, Kansas has fallen behind early in their last few games and this trend will need to stop against the Horned Frogs.

Head coach Bill Self has expressed his consideration of mixing up the guys on the floor, but whoever ends up stepping onto the hardwood Thursday will need to lock in on defense.

TCU sits in the bottom half of the conference in offensive rebounding and this will be an avenue for Kansas to take away some points from the Horned Frogs. This will require strong forwards David McCormack and Mitch Lightfoot to be on their toes down low.

Junior center Kevin Samuel will be the man to beat inside, as he leads the Horned Frogs in rebounds. It’ll be a physical battle at the glass, one that Kansas can’t afford to lose. Samuel takes advantage of any space given, so it’ll be a must to stop any transition dunks like this one.

Sustaining a dominant presence down low will be crucial for the Jayhawks. If Coach Self is looking to mix in some new blood, it shouldn’t affect minutes for guys like McCormack or Agbaji.

Finding rebounds could be Kansas’ edge against the Horned Frogs, and finding any way to build a lead will do wonders for this offense. Our offensive opportunities will be reliant on our ability to take away shots on the other end.

If the Jayhawks can build a rhythm and sustain pressure inside, they’ll hopefully have a good night in Allen Fieldhouse. A major question for fans is whether or not Kansas retains the ability to ‘take over’ in games, answering that starts with a win back home on Thursday night.

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