In just about 24 hours, the No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks will be taking on the No. 13 Cal Baptist in their inaugural clas of this season’s NCAA Tournament.
The Jayhawks have undergone a back-and-forth season, which has seen highs of an eight-game winning streak and wins over the No. 1, 2, and 5 teams in the nation. Yet on the same end has suffered losses against four unranked teams, and a 4-5 stretch over the last nine games, which span through the end of the regular season and through the Big 12 Tournament.
A needed improvement ahead of matchup against serial scorer
While ESPN Analytics gives Bill Self and his squad a 92.6% chance of taking down the Lancers on Friday night, there is an elephant in the room that needs to be addressed, named Dominique Daniels Jr.
Daniels currently ranks as the nation’s fifth-best scorer as he averages a stellar 23.2 points per game on a 43.7% field goal rate.
The senior has touted seven games of 30+ points and a season-high of 47 in a 78-71 win over Utah Valley in the regular season.
Self’s creative practice might prove pivotal in guarding Daniels
Thursday evening, head coach Bill Self spoke with the media covering the team’s preparation for the Lancers and Self’s strategy of using backup guard Nginyu “Gee” Ngala to emulate Daniels.
"Yeah, Gee was him in practice,” quoted Self. “He can't simulate it as apples to apples, but he did a good job.”
Ngala has played just 39 minutes this season, but has a tenure spanning four years in Canada, where in 85 career games Ngala totaled 1,096 points, 209 assists, and 151 three-pointers.
We basically told him, if G gets a shot off, whether it goes in or not, it's not good enough, because we've got to limit his good touches and his good looks."’
While Daniels will always find a way to get shots up, his splits can vary tremendously, so while Ngala won’t be able to match Daniels’ technique perfectly, the team’s practice on a shifty, smaller guard may help go a long way in keeping Daniels as quiet as possible.
Tipoff against Cal Baptist is set for 8:45 p.m. CT with streaming available on CBS.
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