Kansas basketball: 3 positives, 3 negatives from Jayhawks scrimmage loss to Illinois

Kansas Basketball Positive No. 2: Kevin McCullar looks to have taken the next step

If we can gather anything from the loss, it is that Kevin McCullar has turned his game up to a whole different level. The fifth-year senior scored a team-high 25 points in a little under 35 minutes played, shooting 9-of-14 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. He also finished second in total rebounds with eight.

There were times last season when McCullar looked out of place offensively. However, he was comfortable in the other day’s win and didn’t hesitate when he took jump shots. The 2-of-3 display from long range is perhaps the best thing to come from his game last night because we know what he is capable of in other aspects of his game.

While it’s unlikely that he will make a similar jump to Jalen Wilson or Ochai Agbaji, we could still see tremendous improvements in McCullar this year. Bill Self called him KU’s best player earlier in the offseason, and he certainly lived up to that title in the scrimmage.