Recap: What a complete statistical performance looks like

By Staff     Jan 30, 2011

The Kansas bench celebrates a three-pointer from Jordan Juenemann against Kansas State with seconds remaining in the second half on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Note: Here is a listing of definitions for some terms used in this blog. Also, feel free to ask questions in the comments section below if something doesn’t make sense.

Kansas’ 90-66 victory over Kansas State on Saturday is an interesting one to diagnose statistically.

At some point in the game, KU seemed to play well in every facet. The Jayhawks rebounded and defended well early, while getting good shots and shooting the ball well late.

What we end up with is a game where the Jayhawks were good both offensively and defensively, with neither area significantly better than the other.

KU scored 1.23 points per possession, which is great against a defense like KSU’s but still only ranks as third-best in six Big 12 games.

Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor cuts to the bucket past Kansas State defenders Wally Judge (33) Jacob Pullen (0) and Will Spradling (55) during the second half on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Meanwhile, KU allowed 0.90 points per possession to KSU, which was its best effort in Big 12 play but just the 10th-best effort of the year.

Here’s a breakdown by half to further break down KU’s play on Saturday:

**First Half**
KU — 1.06 PPP
*KSU — 0.57 PPP*
(35 possessions)

**Second Half**
*KU — 1.39 PPP*
KSU — 1.18 PPP
(38 possessions)

If we were only talking about the first half, we’d talk about KU’s smothering defense. If we were only talking about the second half, we’d discuss the Jayhawks’ tremendous efficiency.

Kansas forward Markieff Morris gets up for a rebound over Kansas State forward Jamar Samuels during the first half on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

As it was, we once again saw that these Jayhawks are balanced enough to dominate a good opponent offensively or defensively — and sometimes both ways in the same game.

**M.O.J. (Most Outstanding Jayhawk)**

Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor both had great games, but the M.O.J. goes to Markieff Morris.

The 6-foot-9 forward posted 1.45 points per possession used while ending a high number of possessions (26 percent) while he was in. He also scored at least one point on 78.8 percent of the possessions that he ended.

Markieff was at his best in the first half, dominating the defensive glass when KSU 6-foot-8 forward Curtis Kelly was still in there (and during the time when the game was still in doubt).

Kansas forward Thomas Robinson and Kansas State forward Jamar Samuels wrestle for position during the first half on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Overall, Markieff pulled down 27.7 percent of the defensive rebounds and 15.8 percent of the offensive rebounds while he was in, giving KU the rebounding presence it desperately needed against an aggressive team like K-State.

Add in 8-for-10 shooting, two steals and two blocks to go with just one turnover and two fouls, and it’s easy to see why KU coach Bill Self afterwards said that Markieff was terrific.

http://www2.kusports.com/videos/2011/jan/29/33987/

http://www2.kusports.com/videos/2011/jan/30/33989/

**Room for Improvement**

Kansas forward Thomas Robinson defends against a shot by Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen during the second half on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse. At left is KU guard Elijah Johnson and at right are KSU forward Jamar Samuels and KU forward Marcus Morris.

This is really tough, as KU was pretty good in every statistical category.

Looking at the box score, K-State performed worse than average in almost every advanced statistic listed (efficiency, eFG%, floor percentage, free throw rate, assist percentage, assist-to-turnover ratio, steal percentage, block percentage, offensive rebound percentage, defensive rebound percentage). The Wildcats only were better than average at turnover percentage, and barely so at that (21.9 percent, compared to 22.7 percent this season).

KU, meanwhile, was better than average in all the statistics above except for assist percentage (58.8 percent compared to 60.8 percent), block percentage (4.4 percent compared to 8.0 percent) and defensive rebound percentage (60.4 percent compared to 70.6 percent).

We’ll go with something more eye-based for today, and that was KU’s inability to guard KSU’s Jacob Pullen without Taylor on the floor.

By my count, when Taylor exited the game in the second half, Pulled scored 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Take out that part, and Pullen’s final line is six points on 3-for-15 shooting.

Tyrel Reed (14) takes a layup to the basket during the second half of the Jayhawks' game against the Kansas State Wildcats, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse. Former KU star Wayne Simien had his jersey retired in a halftime ceremony at the game.

KU’s guards weren’t good defensively against Colorado, and though Taylor played superbly on Saturday, there still has to be some fear that KU might have issues defensively if Taylor is tired/injured/has foul trouble at any point this year.

It’s time for some other guards — especially Elijah Johnson — to show they can hold their own defensively when called upon later this year.

**Tough-Luck Line**

For the second straight game, Tyrel Reed had an off-shooting night during a game when his teammates thrived offensively.

The senior guard posted just 0.85 points per possession used — the lowest among KU’s nine primary rotation players. In fact, Reed was the only player in that rotation to produce less than 1 point per possession used. Having said that, his impact was limited, as he only used up 13.6 percent of KU’s possessions while he was in during his 1-for-6 shooting night.

Kansas forward Marcus Morris delivers a jam before the student section and the Kansas State defense during the second half on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

One trend to watch with Reed going forward will be his turnovers. During Reed’s first 17 games, he was remarkably sure-handed, turning it over just 12 times in 499 combined minutes.

In the guard’s last three games, though, he’s turned it over seven times in just 85 minutes.

One reason the Burlington native has been so consistent this season is because of his ability to avoid giveaways on a team filled with other careless guards.

It’ll be interesting to track if Reed can revert back to his low-turnover form in upcoming Big 12 games.

**Bottom Line**

Though KU was better than KSU in nearly every facet, the Jayhawks’ advantage Saturday was most evident in shooting percentages.

KU’s 66.4 eFG% was its fourth-highest of the year (and the highest KSU has allowed all year), while KSU’s 39.0 eFG% was its second-lowest of the season.

The most impressive part about KU’s victory might have been how complete it was. The Jayhawks weren’t dominated in a single statistical area, making it difficult to nitpick about any part of Saturday’s blowout win.

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