Statistical Rearview: Kansas vs. Baylor

by Owen Kemp on Jan 21, 2010 2:00 PM CST in Basketball Comment 8 comments

When is a win no longer a win? During last nights game two camps emerged during the course of the game. On one side we had the "it's going to be fine, we'll pull this out" group. This side probably leans toward the one game at a time philosophy and strongly believes that coach Bill Self will eventually put the pieces together and get things working the way they should when it counts.

On the other side we had the, "it's not about one game, it's about how this team looks on a day to day basis" group. Here we have the folks who generally look at the body of work. They probably see a Kansas team that blows out bad teams but struggles with decent ones. These are the folks who don't believe this works like a light switch, they don't believe anyone can turn it on and off whenever they choose.

Without a doubt Baylor is good, but how many can honestly say they felt like Kansas played a solid game? Which group is right? The one game at a time, or the body of work. Is a win a win every single time? or is it reasonable to begin to expect a high level of intensity and focus in every game? Regardless of whether the shots are falling or the other team is shooting lights out, shouldn't the intensity and focus reach some consistency? Shouldn't the mental mistakes and errors be kept to a minimum?

It's a long season, but sometimes it's not long enough. The question at this moment, for me at least, is whether Kansas can put together the team chemistry and mental toughness to go with the talent at hand night in and night out. If they can do this, they have the potential to be a very good team. If they can't, things could get interesting.

NCAA Basketball

Plain and simple Baylor shot well, specifically LaceDarius Dunn shot very well. In terms of eFG% the Bears shot 12.5 ticks higher than the Jayhawks. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to say this, but in close games where other teams shoot above average, Kansas struggles to go blow for blow. Do you want to be a Mike Tyson, go down swinging type fighter or do you want to be a technical boxer that makes life very difficult for his opponent in the ring? Kansas clearly is at it's best when it takes the latter approach primarily because Sherron Collins is the only proven punch that can be thrown consistently. Not to mention, defense never has an off night if you bring the same level of tenacity to the table. The '07-'08 team understood that.

After my rant about defense of course I get to point out that Baylor turned the ball over 20 times last night. 15 of those on steals by the Jayhawks. Solid job in this department by Kansas. The Jayhawks capitalized on a team that likes to run, push the ball and often leaves some out there to be taken.

From a rebounding standpoint, Kansas again finds themselves in a hole. Overall it was a slow rebounding night for both sides as turnovers and made buckets dominated the evening. Still when they were there for the taking, Baylor grabbed more. Kansas usually wins this area and it's one I'm fairly confident in, however there are definitely some very intense and scrappy teams coming up(K-State, Missouri) that will push Kansas in this department.

Free throw shooting rate, pretty much a wash in this one. Ultimately Baylor had enough empty possessions and Kansas took care of the ball. The result is 14 more shots on the night for Kansas resulting in a win. A good win, but not a great win...then again, maybe that's just who we are.

NCAA Basketball

Stat	Game		Season Avg		Opp Season Avg
Stat
Points	75	81	79	85	63	61
FG Att	48	62	57	59	60	59
FG Made	25	27	28	29	22	21
FG Pct	52.1	43.5	50.1	49.8	36.5	36.3
FT Att	19	25	19	24	18	18
FT Made	15	19	13	17	11	12
FT Pct	78.9	76.0	67.0	70.8	62.9	67.7
3pt FG Att	21	21	19	19	22	19
3pt FG Made	10	8	8	8	7	6
3pt FG Pct	47.6	38.1	41.2	41.8	33.6	31.2
Rebounds	34	29	42	40	31	33
Off Rebs	9	14	13	12	12	12
Def Rebs	25	15	29	28	18	20
Team Rebs		3	2	2	4	3
Assists	13	18	15	18	12	12
Steals	5	15	5	9	6	6
Blocks	7	0	7	6	1	3
Turnovers	20	7	14	12	11	15
Fouls	21	17	17	18	17	20

Individual player impacts bring us back to the unbalanced days of old. A whole lot of Sherron on the night. Cole still lingering at his sophomore level of production. Xavier good but not great.

The biggest bright spot was and continues to be Marcus Morris. Now this is a trend I can get behind. Ever since he found himself not starting against Nebraska, McMorris has elevated his play to a level Kansas needs in order to be very good. Now, if we can just get the rest of the group to match that level. Is Marcus Morris the savior? No he isn't, but he is the example right now. The example of playing hard, executing and putting yourself in a position to succeed.

NCAA Basketball

	S	MIN	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	FTM	FTA	FT%	3PM	3PA	3P%	OR	DR	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
T. Carter	*	39	17	5	13	38	4	4	100	3	9	33	0	1	1	7	0	0	3	4
L. Dunn	*	38	27	8	14	57	6	8	75	5	8	62	2	7	9	2	4	1	5	1
A. Jones	*	33	9	4	6	66	0	0	0	1	2	50	2	4	6	0	0	1	3	5
E. Udoh	*	29	10	4	9	44	1	1	100	1	1	100	2	2	4	3	0	1	4	4
J. Lomers	*	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	4	1	0	1	3	4
Q. Acy		28	10	4	4	100	2	2	100	0	0	0	3	6	9	0	1	1	1	2
N. Dennis		9	1	0	0	0	1	2	50	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0
C. Jefferson		8	1	0	0	0	1	2	50	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	1
A. Walton		2	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	S	MIN	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	FTM	FTA	FT%	3PM	3PA	3P%	OR	DR	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
S. Collins	*	38	28	9	16	56	5	6	83	5	9	55	0	1	1	4	2	0	0	1
X. Henry	*	31	12	3	13	23	4	4	100	2	7	28	2	2	4	2	7	0	2	1
M. Morris	*	29	22	8	11	72	6	7	85	0	0	0	4	4	8	1	2	0	0	5
C. Aldrich	*	27	10	4	7	57	2	4	50	0	0	0	2	2	4	2	1	0	0	3
B. Morningstar	*	24	5	1	4	25	2	2	100	1	3	33	0	1	1	3	2	0	1	2
M. Morris		19	4	2	6	33	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	3	5	1	0	0	2	3
T. Taylor		15	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	1
T. Reed		10	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
T. Robinson		4	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	3	0	0	0	2	0
E. Johnson		2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
C. Henry		1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1

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Perfect description. (re: McMorris)

No he isn’t, but he is the example right now. The example of playing hard, executing and putting yourself in a position to succeed.

Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.

by Warden11 on Jan 21, 2010 2:43 PM CST reply actions

McMorris

IMO is also a picture of the team. I am pretty sure he was the twin that tryed to trap Dunn out high and then repeatedly lost the foot race trying to chase him, and the one that trap Lomers outside the paint when Lomers has no chance of doing anything there with Cole defending except pass the ball out, like he did to a wide open Udoh at the basket.

Those are far from the dumbest things that could happen, but still lessons that need to be learned to be elite instead of just real good. IMO, his intensity is in the same category. Real good is a huge step up from “laid back”, but there is still that edge that needs to be maintained consistently throughout the game to be elite.

What is interesting to me, is that inspite of the remaining potential for improvement, he is still our #2 guy at this point (behind SC) instead of #4 (behind SC, Cole, X) as anticipated coming into this year. It was crazy good to see X get 6 steals, 5 in the first half (?), but equally sad to watch him miss on 2 layups.

Hopefully, SC can become a pyromaniac in the next month, because that is when he sets the stage for the grand finale – if there is going to be any grand finale. Little doubt that Sherron will be great, but he (as a pg/leader) can only be as great as he pushes the others to step up their game. McMorris is one step (out of 2?) in the right direction, but he/we need others to step up their game as well.

Fortunately, it is not just about Sherron, but we also have great leaders/teachers coaching the team. Mark me in the middle of the 2 camps.

by dagger108 on Jan 21, 2010 3:06 PM CST reply actions

Yeah I'm starting to get concerned

With our play overall. Just feel like there isn’t a lot of signs example wise to show that this team is making strides towards being elite. Marcus is playing very well and we need that to continue. We need Cole to be a force on D every night and to put the ball in when he gets it down low, Sherron to continue to score, other guards to play tough D and make outside shots etc etc etc.

As concerned as I am, the crazy thing about this sport is the big prize all comes down to March (unless your Mizzou and to make up for years of crap playing you obsess over your Big12 tourny title). We obviously have as much if not more talent than most if not all the teams in the nation, but with our team all it takes for a deep run is us to get hot. Unfortunately, we play one bad game and someone else gets hot well…we know all to well what happens here.

This is why I feel it is essential for our team to get consistent on offense and never let up the intensity on defense. Being consistent means you can withstand the opposing team scoring the nets for some time, a few misses don’t turn into 6 minutes of not scoring, etc. Hopefully we are heading in this direction so we get better overall at baskethoops.

Baskethoops?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PGB5kF46JM

by KU Grad 08 on Jan 21, 2010 3:13 PM CST reply actions

agreed

i am a near-total beliver that bill self will get these guys to jell, but they still aren’t performing at their peak. cole maybe is starting to come around a bit, and it’s good to see X contribute when his shot’s not falling. Tyshawn seems clueless right now and i feel much more comfortable with brady in. we’re still not going thru cole enough and waiting around too much for sherron to bail us out.

"He once had an awkward moment, just to see how it felt...he lives vicariously...through himself- He is the most interesting man in the world"

by Home Run Tony Cogan on Jan 21, 2010 10:05 PM CST up reply actions

loved the Keegan story today on X

X talked about how he never thought about defense until HCBS taught him fundamentals and how to use his hands, and now he really enjoys playing defense and stopping other players.

Now he just needs to stay another year, hone his skills, and be the #1 overall pick after his sophomore year.

by DCJayhawk0208 on Jan 22, 2010 7:38 AM CST up reply actions