2. Johnny Furphy needs to see the court more often
The Australian freshman has looked a lot more comfortable in recent games, yet he continues to have a short leash with Coach Self. He had a strong first half, scoring nine points and playing fearlessly, yet he was nowhere to be found in the final 10 minutes.
With all due respect to Elmarko Jackson, he had a cardio session last night. He didn't put up a single shot attempt in 22 minutes, nor did he record a rebound, steal, block, or a single point. Even worse, he finished scoreless.
There has to come to a point in time when Jackson is benched. He hasn't found the hoop in consecutive games now, and he also scored zero points against Marquette back in November. Could it be that he isn't ready to compete against high-level collegiate basketball teams yet? Possibly. But regardless of the explanation for his poor play, Jackson has been a big zero on the court.
Furphy is 6-foot-8, athletic, and a better shooter than any guard on the team (unless you consider McCullar a guard). He averages 5.6 points per game in less than 14 minutes per game and makes his presence felt on the court. Self needs to let the growing pains come with more playing time and give him a shot. He can't do less than what his counterpart is right now.