This is fine.
I actually feel… OK? That this three game skid is going to make this team better in the long run? That a few things that have happened in the past week were inevitable corrections, all paired with a little bad luck? Am I being too forgiving of the home blasting by TCU? Is this conference just a hornet’s nest? How is Keyontae Johnson at K-State? Will I actually make a declarative statement or will I keep ending every observation or aside with a question mark, completely dancing around every topic I’ve mentioned?
Sure, there’s a lot… not to love. Kevin McCullar is on one (it’s a very bad one) and looks like a shadow of the player we saw earlier this season. After a sizzling run, KJ Adams has come down to earth a little bit and is now fighting it. This team’s lack of size and skill diversity is finally hurting us. Another tough game against Kentucky at Rupp is Saturday, and based on last night’s offensive rebounding debacle, I think you can probably hit the over on 15.5 rebounds for Tshiebwe.
But, I don’t think the season is lost by any means. We need to talk about a few things, though.
Dajuan Harris’ Health
Dajuan Harris has not looked the same since taking a hard fall in the KSU game. I don’t like to speculate about a diagnosis or anything like that, but the injury narrative there appears to fit.
He’s either slowed down, or pressing too much, or some combination of both. KU’s offense flows through Harris, and without him being able to find angles in the half-court, it is the least creative and forced-feeling offense of all time. At times, we have 3/5 on the floor who defenders don’t exactly have to run off the line, and the reserves have largely underwhelmed. Spacing… what’s spacing? Jalen Wilson is balling his rear off but that’s not going to be enough.
Some things are ahead of schedule (like Gradey Dick’s impact in all aspects) but many things are way, way behind schedule (bench bigs and consistency of rotation guards).
Don’t want this to get lost, so noting again: Jalen Wilson’s improvement continues to be remarkable—what a cool and crafty player.
Teams Have Realized Our Center is 6’5’’
This is one of the developments I’m surprised we haven’t had to pay for earlier. Last night, Baylor abused Kansas switching to the point where KU had to abandon their signature defense for something more junk-y. While Self didn’t go full tilt gimmick D as much I would have liked or enjoyed, we stopped switching and went a little more straight-up man, which worked a little bit.
KenPom now projects that 11-7 will win the Big 12, which is a statement of strength at the top of the conference. TCU smoked KU, and even with a much better shooting luck, TCU would have still won by 6-8 instead of delivering a historic AFH blowout. So it goes. Some stuff you see in the pros has a ripple effect on the previous levels, and “going back to business after a potentially humiliating whooping” is just part of the game now. I know I’m bending over backwards to communicate and self-justify why KU will be OK, but that’s just the Streak Talk brand.
A Plot Twist is Coming
This team needs something to happen, and I’m guessing that whatever that thing might be is not what we’re expecting. Everyone expected Udeh and Ejiofor to be further along, and if Udeh flailing around and letting his man stroll in for an easy layup last night didn’t tell you all you need to know, I [Probst voice] got nothing for you.
Maybe we’re looking in the wrong place. Maybe emboldening Bobby P and Yesufu in second units to drive-and-kick will unlock some spacing, creating a new rhythm in their offense. Zach Clemence… looks better, you have to give him that! MJ Rice still feels like an unknown, and maybe a confidence boost there infuses some new juice into the rotation. Kentucky is a big game on paper, but it has much less importance than any conference game and could be a good spot to tinker against elite comp.
Some of KU’s greatest recent successes required something unexpected. Elijah Johnson taking over in the Purdue game in 2012. Cole Aldrich becoming the Hansbrough-stopper in a Final Four game, despite hardly playing all season. Silvio de Sousa becoming one of a Final Four team’s most influential players down the stretch after joining KU late in the season.
It might not be one thing. It could be a lower-intensity combination of a few factors coming together at the right time. I can see it, and we’ll need it.
This all being said, we are gonna repeat anyhow. See you next time!