Kansas basketball’s 3 keys for victory against USC in Round 2

Kansas basketball opens as a slim 1-point underdog as they prepare to take on USC (including another set of high performing brothers) at Hinkle Fieldhouse. 

This is the matchup many people predicted and lots of Kansas basketball fans have feared as they rooted for the Drake upset in the first round.

This tournament, however, is all about matchups and finding ways to beat whoever is in front of you. The Jayhawks certainly won’t be shying away from this one so let’s look at a few keys for Kansas they try to advance.

Protecting the paint

Trying to contain the post play of the Trojans will be crucial for the Jayhawks. Superstar 7 0′ big man Evan Mobley is averaging 16.8 points and 8.7 rebounds. He is joined by his 6 9′ brother Isaiah Mobley who is averaging 9.2 points and 7.3 rebounds.

Having David McCormack back and with a game under his belt should prove to help KU. There’s no doubt Mobley is going to get his points, but Kansas must try to limit his effectiveness by at least making it difficult to score. In other words; KU cannot allow their star post player to put up 35 points as they did on Saturday with Eastern Washington’s Tanner Groves.

USC has the length to make it difficult for McCormack to get anything going down low and to potentially get anything they want on their offensive end. Keeping McCormack out of foul trouble and at least somewhat limiting the damage down low will be important for the Jayhawks.

Perimeter and guard play

There’s no doubt that without the excellent guard play of Marcus Garrett and DaJuan Harris on Saturday, KU would be packing its bags and heading back to Lawrence right now.

We wrote earlier about how good DaJuan Harris was on both ends of the floor. KU looked significantly better with him as the floor general compared to when he was sitting on the bench.

He also showed his versatility on offense by knocking down 3 three-pointers and driving it into the lane. Garrett also showed his offensive ability and contributed big-time perimeter shots – something he doesn’t usually do.

If Garrett and Harris can contribute as they did on Saturday, it will give KU a huge boost. We know it will be tough for us down low, so neutralizing that disadvantage from the outside will give us a chance in this one.

How effective will Jalen Wilson be?

Head Coach Bill Self stated today that he does plan for Jalen Wilson to arrive in Indianapolis early Monday, practice with the team and play in the game. While Self is not sure how many minutes Wilson might be available for, it’s no doubt that having him back will be a plus.

We saw David McCormack return from his Covid-19 hiatus by scoring 20 second-half points and willing KU to a victory. He did look a bit rusty in the first half but was able to eventually find his groove. However, it remains to be seen how Wilson will respond as his conditioning and stamina may be affected differently than McCormack’s.

Even if Wilson doesn’t score 20+ points, we need to see him bringing his usual level (or at least, close to it) of energy, involvement, and rebounding. Wilson has had a special way of finding the ball for rebounds, which becomes all the more important against USC’s length.