The Kansas basketball team was thrashed on Saturday when Arizona beat them by 23. KU was down by 12 five minutes into the second half, but Darryn Peterson spurred a nice comeback. The Jayhawks cut the lead down to just two points around the 12-minute mark, and then things fell apart.
The Wildcats went on their second 19-0 run of the game and buried KU, taking revenge on the team that handed them their first loss of the season in early February.
Arizona outmanned Kansas badly on the boards. KU was outrebounded 48-26. Part of this was due to some first-half foul trouble by Bryson Tiller. Arizona is a big, physical team that attacks the glass aggressively. KU had a tough time dealing with the Wildcats when Kansas tried to play small.
Paul Mbiya logged solid minutes against Arizona and made positive contributions
Coming into the Arizona game, Mbiya had played in only 15 games this season, logging just 58 total minutes. He hadn't played more than five minutes since the third game of the season, when he saw a career-high 11 minutes.
Against Arizona, Mbiya acquitted himself fairly well, considering his lack of playing time. He logged 10 minutes, pulled in three rebounds, and blocked one shot. He struggled to make any impact whatsoever on the offensive end, and he notched four fouls in those ten minutes, so it wasn't all positive.
Still, considering how he has seen so little action this season, his play overall has to be judged in a positive light. It is a lot to ask anyone who hasn't played much to come in and be a major contributor against a team that may be the best in the nation right now.
It isn't Mbiya's fault he hasn't been given more minutes, at least not completely. While he is long and athletic, Mbiya is also very raw, especially offensively. He's not been given much opportunity to play against quality competition.
Kansas head coach Bill Self is famous for not playing his bench much. He likes to keep his rotation tight, and this season, he has often used mainly just seven, occasionally eight, rarely nine. The first guys off the bench are Jamari McDowell, Elmarko Jackson, Kohl Rosaario, and sporadically, Jayden Dawson, all of whom are guards.
The only two bigger players with real size are Mbiya and Samis Calderon, who has played about the same amount of minutes as Mbiya. Self hasn't given either of these players much time on the court. They are both players who need quite a bit of polish before they are major contributors. Without more minutes here and there, it is hard for them to be prepared when they are thrown into the fire as Mbiya was Saturday.
Sometimes, it feels as if Self misses opportunities to get these guys more court time. He's a Hall of Fame coach, so it is difficult to challenge his methods, but it is also challenging for young players to develop quickly when they seldom see the court.
Considering his lack of experience and the quality of the opponent, Mbiya did as well as could be expected in a tough situation against Arizona. Hopefully, he'll see more playing time in the immediate future so if he's needed in the NCAA Tournament, he'll be more prepared.
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