Kansas' latest win showcased a new facet that may prove pivotal in postseason run

When the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks eventually pushed past the No. 6 TCU Horned Frogs in their 78-73 quarterfinal win in the Big 12 Tournament, it was anything but a landmark, explosive offensive night. This has been a common theme amongst many of the Jayhawks’ wins this season. 

A large amount of Kansas’ productivity has been focused on a strong defense, which has allowed an opposition field goal rate of 38.7%, as offensive duties have largely rotated between the likes of Darryn Peterson, Tre White, Melvin Council Jr., and occasional segments from Bryson Tiller and others. 

As of writing, the Jayhawks’ offense sits 135th in the country with just 76.5 points per game. Kansas’ 119.3 offensive rating is 53rd-best in the country according to KenPom, leaving massive room for improvement. 

This has seen Kansas oftentimes find themselves heavily disadvantaged in away games where their defense blinks, and their offense can’t keep up a scoring pace, which is why all but one of Kansas’ away losses have been by 10+ points. 

A newfound reason for Kansas optimism

While the attention has fully shifted to Kansas’ semifinal Friday night clash against the No. 2 Houston Cougars, there is one major thing that the Jayhawks showed in their win over TCU: an ability to get to the line. 

Kansas notched 37 free throws over the course of Thursday night, while also forcing constant rotations of TCU players as four Horned Frogs were tagged with four or more fouls. 

Guards Elmarko Jackson and Peterson combined for 23 of Kansas’ 30 points from the free throw line, often providing a reprieve for a stalling offense.

Through parts of the season, including Thursday, Kansas has often been on the receiving end of these calls as Flory Bidunga has had to miss out on crucial end-of-half moments in order not to receive a detrimental foul. 

As was the case with Bidugna having to tightrope through the final 6:29 of the narrow tournament win with four fouls to his name.

How often can Kansas rely on this?

Funnily enough, one of the biggest recent complaints of the season has been that the Jayhawks haven’t gotten to the line enough as Bill Self’s squad ranks 230th in the nation with just 19.3 attempts per game. 

While Jackson may not be making constant appearances to the stripe, Peterson is one of the best players in the nation at drawing consistent contact, and his health and coaches' instruction have played a massive role in getting Peterson downhill. If Peterson can continue to engineer tough contact around the rim, then KU can expect a massive uptick in their free-throw numbers, but banking on referees to see every call go your way is a risky play so late in the season and ultimately can provide wildly inconsistent results. 

Kansas will take on the Cougars Friday night, with tipoff set for 8:30 p.m. CT with streaming available on ESPN.

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