Kansas Jayhawks Basketball vs UNC Asheville Bulldogs: A (Semi) Stastical Recap

Well that happened. There’s not much to say about last night’s game except a rested Kansas team beat the tar out of a team that, while they should be able to compete for the Big South autobid, can’t compete with Kansas athletically.

The Jayhawks finished scoring 1.38 points per possession, shooting almost the exact same percentage from two and three (around 62 percent on both). Kansas also grabbed almost half of its misses. The lone blemish was the turnovers, as they Jayhawks gave it away on roughly 21 percent of their possessions.

Defensively, Kansas was great as well. They allowed just .83 points per possession, allowing UNCA to shoot just 38 percent on twos. They allowed Asheville to rebound just 18 percent of their misses. Turnovers were a bit of a bugaboo on this end of the floor as well as they forced Asheville to turn it over on just 11 percent of their possessions.

In all, not a ton to take away from this one. Kansas played well in a game they should have played well in, as they get a month or so of very winnable games before Big 12 play starts.

No grades time I believe:

• Lagerald Vick was 3-4 from three in what might end up being the most important development of the night. He was 3-3 on twos and had 9 rebounds as well, but if he can shoot in the high 30s from three he will end up being a serious weapon for the Jayhawks.
• Josh Jackson was 0-3 from deep but that’s where the negatives end. He was 5-8 on twos, 4-6 from the line, had 4 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals, 7 assists, and just 1 turnover. I am going to say he has settled into college basketball well.
• Devonte Graham was incredible as well. 2-4 from deep, 11 assists, 2 turnovers. He also didn’t crack the 30 minute barrier, which was nice.
• Frank Mason also didn’t crack the 30 minute barrier. He was 3-5 on twos, 5-5 from deep, though he did have 3 turnovers. I’ll trade 3 turnovers for 5-5 from deep though.
• Udoka Azubuike more like Udunka Azubuike am I right. He had 17 points on 8-9 shooting and 3 blocks. It was a bit weird he had just 3 rebounds considering how well the team rebounded however.
• Svi Mykhailiuk quietly had an effective game, going 2-4 from deep and dishing out 2 assists. He did a really good job at getting to the rim but struggled to finish (which has been a constant over the course of his career).
• Carlton Bragg was 2-3 with 5 rebounds in 11 minutes. He doesn’t work great as the lone big man in a lineup, but paired with another big man he’s shown he can be very effective. I expect his minutes will grow as we get further into the season.
• Landen Lucas struggled with fouls (though neither was actually a foul) and turnovers, but finished with 6 points and 4 rebounds in just 12 minutes. He probably needs to rest his foot as he was clearly hobbling throughout the game.
• Everyone else did stuff.