Kansas basketball shows much improved energy and play late in home win over TTU

After Kansas basketball recently picked up their third straight win and put together one of their most complete games of the season, they responded with another victory against No. 15 Texas Tech.

The Jayhawks, for a change, came out of the locker room with tons of energy and shared the ball well. They jumped out to a 10-2 lead, which proved to be big for Kansas as they have struggled to match their opponent’s level of play at the start of their past few games.

It was clear, however, a Chris Beard-coached Red Raiders team would not be going away. Superstar Red Raider Mac McClung hit a big three to pull Texas Tech within 6 points going into halftime.

Coach Bill Self, who has always stressed the importance of hustle plays, showed his approval  of the Jayhawks’ toughness after the game.

We saw lots of energy from all Jayhawks, but especially for Jalen Wilson, who finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He was able to track down many missed shots that to led some nice second chance offense for Kansas.

TTU refused to give up as they were able to force some late turnovers from the Jayhawks and hit some big-time shots to make it a game late. In response, sophomore Christian Braun hit what would prove to be the biggest shot of the game.

Up by just 3 points with the Red Raiders surging, Braun caught the ball off a quick pass from Wilson and swished the three with 25 seconds to put Kansas back up by 6.

We’ve seen Kansas show flashes of playing to their ceiling, but they haven’t put together a complete 40-minute game like this in a long time. The confidence that winning a close game down the stretch should give the Jayhawks will be key for them as they finish out the regular season against No. 12 Texas and No. 2 Baylor.