In the Jayhawks’ opening Players Era 71-61 win over ACC side Notre Dame, things were not perfect. At points, Kansas lagged and opened up potential avenues for an upset win, including just a five-point 59-54 gap with 5:57 to play in the game. Yet consistency towards the end of the game gave way to a relatively comfortable 10-point win heading into day two of the championship.
With the team missing out on key Darryn Peterson, there was an added emphasis on the rest of the team to show up and the call was answered.
While Jamari McDowell’s five points, two rebounds, one assist, and one block will not jump out of the box score, with the game at its pivotal point, the redshirt sophomore knocked in a massive three-pointer to essentially seal the game with a 10-point lead with 2:41 to play.
Two minutes earlier, McDowell added a block, further stamping his footprint on the game. When speaking with the media after the win, head coach Bill Self spoke with the media about McDowell’s and Elmarko Jackson’s performance.
"I actually think that Jamari has labored so far, and to see him come in and play that way for us when he hasn't really. I think he played 52 seconds against Duke. We need it. I love to see it. He's a good shooter…But I was happy for Jamari. I was happy for Elmarko. It's not that they did unbelievable things, but they did things to help our team win. And I think that they'll both, obviously, be very important the next two days."
While McDowell made his impact in the second half, Jackson helped ensure the Jayhawks would head into the first half with a 39-32 lead.
Jackson finished the game with three points, one rebound, one assist, and one block in his 14 minutes.
Leading the team on the day was sophomore Flory Bidunga. Bidunga was one of four players who notched double-digit points, although his 18 led the way. Bidunga finished the game with an additional nine rebounds, five assists, five blocks, and two turnovers.
The Jayhawks finished with a 47% field goal rate, on 28-60 shooting with a 6-20 mark from beyond the arc.
Kansas vs Syracuse Full Guide: When, where, TV, streaming, and more
Kansas’ second game of the Players Era takes place in a few hours as the Jayhawks take on the Syracuse Orange. So far this season, the Orange are 4-1 under third-year head coach Adrian Autry.
In Autry’s first two seasons, the former guard has managed a 38-32 record, including an impressive 20 wins in his first season; however, year two had a stumble as the Orange finished with 14 wins. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT with streaming available on TNT.
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