4 Days Until Kansas Basketball: A Semi Statistical Recap of Emporia State

It is no surprise that Kansas played much better in the second exhibition, both due to getting some young guys a game under their belts as well as getting to play a much worse opponent. Kansas dominated at both ends, scoring 1.38 points per possession and allowing just .82 points per trip. Regardless of the competition, both are impressive.

The Jayhawks also improved on the glass, rebounding 43 percent of their misses while allowing Emporia State to rebound just 28 percent of theirs. At some point this will be a full post, but I think the pearl clutching over the rebounding issues is mostly a red herring and it won’t matter too much this season on the aggregate.

Not surprisingly, KU’s veteran backcourt didn’t turn it over much (just 14 percent of possessions) and they forced turnovers on 21 percent of Emporia State’s possessions. The Jayhawks haven’t forced a lot of turnovers in years past, but I think it will be a bit more important this season to do so.

(I am having some issues embedding the 4 factors chart, so click here to see it)

We are doing letter grades today

• Landen Lucas: B. Lucas played 16 minutes, had 6 points, and 7 rebounds, and did pretty much everything you’d expect of him.
• Frank Mason: A+. 17 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 turnover, and he didn’t miss a shot. He still needs to do it against teams with a bit more size but it’s tough to be more impressed than I am with what he’s doing so far.
• Lagerald Vick: C. Vick missed all three of his 3s, but he did have 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Maybe this should be a bit higher but his grade will largely depend on his outside shooting this year methinks.
• Devonte Graham: A. His game was overshadowed by Mason’s effort, but Graham was fantastic in his own right, going 2-4 from deep, 1-2 from two, and adding 4 assists and 3 steals without turning the ball over.
• Josh Jackson: A-. Jackson was 1-3 from three (again, probably what we should expect going forward) with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and just 1 turnover. He is awesome. The lone demerits come from the fact he will make me go bald with all of his step back jumpers and foot on the line twos he is fond of taking.
• Svi Mykhailiuk: A. Svi was 2-4 from deep, and also attacked the rim well, finishing 5-9 overall. He added 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. His off ball defense also looks like it has improved quite a bit, though of course we won’t know for sure until the competition ramps up.
• Carlton Bragg: D. It has been a rough going for Bragg, who was just 1-4 and had 5 turnovers. He’s a hair slow in the early going and clearly didn’t respond well to not starting. I definitely think he will be fine, though.
• Dwight Coleby: B+. Tough to give someone who played just 9 minutes an A, but Coleby made all of his shots and had 2 rebounds in those 9 minutes. I sure wish his knee were healthy because I think he would be really good. Maybe a year of playing it into shape and a summer of rest will allow him to be a key piece next year.
• Udoka Azubuike: B+. Azubuike can dunk everything in sight, and he’s sure to be everyone’s fan favorite soon, but he messed up a couple things on defensive rotations and with the offensive playbook. Certainly to be expected this early in his career, but he can’t get an A while doing it. 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 16 minutes is impressive regardless of the opponent, however.
• Mitch Lightfoot: B-. Mitch was 4-4 from the field and 4-7 on free throws. He also had a block and steal in 15 minutes, but struggled a bit with his size, which should be an issue going forward.