Kansas basketball has one more tune-up game against Middle Tennessee before it plays Kentucky next week. The Jayhawks played well at times against Fordham on Monday, winning by 30.
The Jayhawks next opponent, Middle Tennessee, offers an interesting test for Kansas. The Blue Raiders scored 117 points in a massive 44-point win against Fisk in their first game of the year. Middle Tennessee should offer stiffer competition than Fordham did, but Kansas is also not Fisk. Quintero Barnett led the Blue Raiders with 24 points as the Blue Raiders made 55 percent of their shots overall and 46 percent of their three-point attempts.
Kansas, on the other hand, continued the trend from the exhibition games by struggling from behind the arc. KU went just 9-for-23 from the three-point range, but toss out Tre White's three-for-five night, and the rest of the Jayhawks shot just 30 percent from three.
KU was also terrible from the free-throw line. The Jayhawks connected on 16 of their 30 attempts, which averages out to a brutal 53 percent. Kansas will have trouble against stronger competition if that number doesn't improve drastically.
The Jayhawks also need to be better with the ball after committing 17 turnovers against Fordham. While more turnovers should be expected when KU plays at a faster tempo, many of the errors are unforced. Kansas needs to clean those up and value each possession more.
White had a terrific overall game, with 23 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Keanu Dawes led the team with nine rebounds off the bench, while Leroy Blyden Jr. had the most surprising game, recording 15 points, one rebound, three assists, and two steals.
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Kansas vs. Middle Tennessee: When and where
The Kansas Jayhawks and the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders faced each other on the gridiron last month, and now KU will host them for basketball as well. The game is at Allen Fieldhouse on Friday, November 6, at 8 pm CT.
How to watch Kansas vs. Middle Tennessee
The game between the Jayhawks and the Blue Raiders will air on ESPNU. It can be streamed on FuboTV and on Disney+ (with an RSPN package). Both services require a paid subscription.
BetMGM betting lines for Kansas vs. Middle Tennessee
Betting lines for college basketball are not available on BetMGM until the day of the game. These will be updated on Friday, November 6.
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Phoggy Notes
- Six players logged at least 23 minutes against the Rams. Two more played at least 13 minutes, while all 15 KU players made it into the game.
- While KU struggled to shoot threes and free throws, the Jayhawks were outstanding on their 35 two-point attempts, hitting 26. That comes out to 74.2 percent. Head coach Self would surely take that number every game.
- Self has one more game to sort out what his rotation will look like when Kansas plays Kentucky next week and for the Players Era Championship the week after. This roster is so deep, Self has the luxury to mix and match lineups and to go with the hot hand or the best matchup on any given night.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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