Kansas guard Kevin McCuller Jr., 15, pushes the ball onto the court against Seton Hall in the second half on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022 at Allen Fieldhouse.
by Nick Krug
1 – Kevin McCuller Jr. – Kansas manager Bill Self said it was McCuller’s most effective attacking game as a Jayhawk after their 91-65 victory over Seton Hall. But you didn’t have to hear from the head coach to figure it out. Done. It led to a more relaxed player. This resulted in sleeker looking jumpers (many of which were adopted). And that led to an effective night on defense as well.In short, this is the recipe for how McCuller wants Kansas to play as his Jayhawk. Despite missing a win against Texas Southern on Monday with a groin injury, he played his 35 minutes on Thursday and was great in nearly every game.
2 – Jalen Wilson – Wilson wasn’t perfect in this one. He made only five of his 13 shots, missing two free throws in three turnovers, but he shot early, scoring 15 points and his 13-board double. I finished the game with a double. I don’t care who you are If you can come up with numbers like that, coaches, teams and fans will accept it. The best thing about Wilson’s “off” night was that it didn’t negatively affect the rest of his team. In fact, most of the players on the KU roster had their best offensive nights. It’s a sure sign that Wilson’s inefficiency is just that, that he didn’t look for more shots or keep the ball to himself.
3 – KJ Adams – Adams’ night was much better than his lines suggest. He was great in his set offensively for KU, finishing with 3 steals though he scored 11 and he had 3 rebounds. He rolled hard, sifted hard and finished strong. At one point, he scored seven straight points with the Jayhawks, which he didn’t even think he’d actually score. At that time, how this team can utilize him and how he can contribute is limitless. The good news is that they never ask him to score big. It certainly looks like
4 – Dahuan Harris Jr. – He scored 10 points on 5/6 shooting and added 7 assists and 3 steals in just one turnover. In many of his five makes, he appeared to be out of business scoring.Self wasn’t happy with his three fouls on Harris — at least two of them were pretty careless. It was — but it’s not hard to highlight and fix it.
5 – Ernest Uday Jr. – Thursday was McCuller’s best offensive game as a Jayhawk, but it may have been Wooday’s best all-around game. He made all four of his shots, hit both of his attempted free throws, and looked more confident and less lost. He has a lot of work to do to become the consistent force the Jayhawks want. But the team has just two games left in his next 16 days, so there’s plenty of time to get it in practice. He can definitely contribute more than his two rebounds, but he doesn’t have more on a night when two of his teammates hit his 23rd.
6 – Grady Dick – Here’s what Dick will be key to for the rest of the season, and possibly the rest of his career in Kansas – it’s his defense that will determine if he has a good night or a bad night. We already know he can score a lot. And we’ve seen how cunning and creative he is in making his shots. He needs to improve his defense to make sure. he will work on it. And it’s hard to imagine him not progressing as the season progresses. For that, he scored his 15 points in just 26 minutes on Thursday night.
7 – Joe Yesuf – Yesufu took one really bad shot in this game and Self let him know. And he made his three of his five remaining attempts and looked decent in his 14 minutes on the floor. It was a far cry from what he performed in the starting role the other day. But I don’t think that’s what he should pursue. Jesuf’s goals should be solid, not dazzling.
8 – Zubi Ejiofor – He scored two runs and stole a base in eight minutes on the floor, but was pretty quiet overall. Some of it had to do with Ude’s raucous night, but it worked because the Jayhawks didn’t have to do much on this night.
9 – MJ Rice – Rice followed a 19-point blowout the other day with a 5-point dud in 13:25 of Thursday’s playing time. His game made little sense, and he didn’t look as upbeat and loose in this game as he did against Texas Southern. he is young like Ude. it happens. And the practice time over the next few weeks should help develop the confidence that will lead to consistency on the court.
10 – Zach Clemens – Not much to write home about Clemens with this one. He played six minutes, missed his only shot, grabbed one rebound and one foul. After the game, Self talked about Clemens’ time out due to an injury and limited practice time because the schedule really hurt him and it wasn’t his fault. It’s hard to know what triggers a click, but he’s competitive enough to keep chasing it.
Season standings
1 – Jalen Wilson, age 77
2 – Dahuan Harris Jr., Age 60
3 – Grady Dick, Age 58
4 – KJ Adams, age 52
5 – Kevin McCuller Jr., Age 49
6 – Bobby Pettiford, age 37
7 – Joe Yesuf, 33 years old
8 – Ernest Hude Jr., Age 29
9 – MJ Rice, 26
10 – Zubi Ejiofor, Age 21
11 – Zach Clemens, 11z
12 – Kyle Cuff Jr., 2x
x – knee injury out 10-12 weeks from Nov 13
y – Missed 3 of the first 5 games of the season due to injury or illness
z – Missed Duke, Southern Utah, and North Carolina State games due to injury
*o – Missed the November 29 game against Texas Southern with a groin injury
