The season for Kansas Jayhawks basketball technically began with a commanding 94-51 win over Green Bay Phoenix on Monday. With that being said, KU was favored to win that contest by 30. This made Friday night’s matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels feel like the real start to the season… and it did not go great, losing 87-74. There were some positives, however.
In what felt like a North Carolina revenge game on the road, thanks to Kansas getting the best of UNC in the 2022 National Championship game, KU actually started off the game incredibly well. They led by as many as 10 points in the first half, and hit an ESPN predicted win% of 86.2 when they led 37-27 with 1:36 left to go in the half. Sadly, the good vibes did not last.
Kansas’ lead evaporated in the first two-and-a-half minutes of the 2nd half as UNC went on a 10-2 run. From there, the Tar Heels never looked back. KU hung in there for about 5 minutes of game time, but then UNC had an explosive 12-0 run in the span of three minutes, and Kansas never got closer than a 6-point deficit the rest of the game.
Although the 2nd half collapse is disappointing, there were a handful of promising trends that should make KU Hoops fans excited for the season.
Three-Pointers, Tiller’s Thriller, and Peterson’s Projection
Rarely does a loss come with no positives or at least a few things that fans can be hopeful about moving forward. This Jayhawks loss is no exception. There are three huge positives that should be taken from this tough road loss to the Tar Heels:
1. The Jayhawks' three-point shooting - Against Green Bay Phoenix, the Crimson and Blue shot a solid 37.0% from beyond the arc on 10/27 shooting. On Friday night, they actually improved upon this and shot 48.0% (12/25). The lack of consistent perimeter shooting has been one of the biggest reasons for KU’s recent struggles, but it seems much improved thus far.
Kansas had six different players connect on a three-pointer as well, indicating that there is some depth of shooting as well; it’s not just Peterson carrying the load. It is unlikely that Kansas will shoot 48% from deep every game, but if they can shoot 37-39% as a team from beyond the arc, they will be in a wondrous spot moving forward.
2. Bryson Tiller’s ability to contribute off the bench - Transitioning to one of the three-point shooters specifically, Tiller had a phenomenal first half against the Tar Heels, shooting 4/4 from beyond the arc in the first half alone. He has now been a spark plug off the bench in back-to-back games and is shooting 70% from the floor this season and 83.3% from deep this season.
Sure this is a tiny sample size and sure, Tiller fouling out in a mere 15 minutes is concerning, but the spacing and ability for him to make an immediate impact when he checks in is definitely there. There could even be an argument that starting Tiller alongside Flory Bidunga in some matchups could make sense.
3. Darryn Peterson is as advertised… and he’s only going to get better - In the 2nd half against UNC, the Kansas offense looked stagnant and sloppy for a large chunk of possessions, but most of those ugly possessions came when the man called "Bucket Jones" was on the bench. It is clear that the KU offense is going to rely on Peterson a lot this year, but he seems up for the task.
Peterson shot 8/14 from the field and 3/5 from long range for 22 points in 28 minutes. Scoring aside, he also stuffed the stat sheet elsewhere, recording 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. As a true freshman, he already looks incredibly poised in a tough road environment and will only improve as he gets more games under his belt.
The last team to win every game in a college basketball season was the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers, so while a loss always hurts, you cannot win them all. The Jayhawks are still in great shape, and if nothing else, this should allow them to continue to fly under the radar and continue to develop to the point where they are peaking in March. Rock Chalk!
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