Rock Chalk over Roos: Kansas basketball player ratings from A to Z vs. UMKC
By Tony Zuzzio
Kevin McCullar came out on fire, carrying the Kansas basketball team to an early halftime lead of 44-30. After some lulls in the offense and defense in the second half, the Jayhawks made a late surge and sent the Roos back hopping up I-35.
UMKC cut the lead to eight points with 3:52 left in the game, then KJ Adams and Johnny Furphy finished them off. KJ dominated the second half with 16 points in the half and 18 overall. Johnny came in to close out the game, and close it out he did. He had a big steal and two finishes at the rim with a 3-pointer to cap his big run as he finished with 10 points.
The Jayhawks iced it away 88-69 and now set their sites on that ugly gold and black team in Columbia. Looking forward to reminding Mizzou and their fans that Big 12 or SEC, it doesn’t matter — we will dominate you any time!
Kansas Basketball Player Ratings vs. UMKC
Tier 1: Big Jays
1. Kevin McCullar
Kevin lit the scoreboard up early and often in the first half on his way to a career-high 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting. The all-around star also added six rebounds, five assists, two steals, one block, and two turnovers. He flew around and played hard. Got lost on a few backdoor looks on defense but was his usual all-around Dawg self.
2. KJ Adams
KJ dominated the second half. He rebounded and went coast to coast, seeking out contact and finishing at the rim. KJ finished with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 6-of-10 from the free throw line. He added seven rebounds, six assists, four steals, and zero turnovers. He was our best defender all night and played an all-around solid game.
3. Johnny Furphy
Johnny showed he was the biggest Roo on the floor. He played 14 minutes and had his best defensive game of the year, moving his feet and keeping his guys in front of him. He came up with a big steal down the stretch of the game. The last two and a half minutes was the Johnny Furphy showing as he dropped seven points and had a steal to ice the game. Furphy finished with 10 points, two rebounds, two steals, one block, and no turnovers. Johnny keeps making his case to be the fifth starter and earn more significant minutes.