Postgame Report Card: Kansas 80, Texas 78

By Staff     Jan 14, 2019

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Texas guard Courtney Ramey (3) and Kansas guard Marcus Garrett chase a loose ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Grades for five aspects of the Kansas basketball team’s 80-78 win over Texas on Monday at Allen Fieldhouse.

Offense: B+
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The Jayhawks rarely look so good shooting from 3-point range and taking care of the ball on the same night as they did versus Texas.

Not only did KU hit double-digit 3-pointers for just the third time this season, going 11 of 21, but they only gave the ball away 4 times in 40 minutes, while finishing with 14 assists on 29-for-54 shooting (53.7%) from the field.

The primary knock against the Jayhawks this night was their performance at the foul line, where they connected on only 11 of 21.

Defense: C-
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The Longhorns were nearly as effective offensively as the perennial Big 12 champs.

KU couldn’t put away Texas in either half because its defenders kept letting the Longhorns loose, especially behind the arc.

UT hit 13 of 34 from deep in its two-point loss. The Longhorns only turned the ball over 6 times and hit 42% of their shots overall.

Frontcourt: C+
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Dedric Lawson was more effective on the glass versus UT than he was two days earlier at Baylor, leading the Jayhawks with 8 rebounds this time around. But Texas won the battle of the boards, 38-31.

And though Lawson’s 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting didn’t qualify as one of his more dominant outings, the junior was efficient in his 26 minutes (the relatively low playing time a result of some early foul issues).

Most importantly for KU, Lawson made a point to exert himself offensively in crunch time, scoring three layups in the final five minutes of the narrow win.

On the other end of the court, his interior defense didn’t hold up consistently, and Dylan Osetkowski at times was able to score over Lawson with ease.

Backcourt: B+
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Where on earth did that Marcus Garret outing come from? The sophomore was more assertive offensively against the Longhorns than he ever has looked in a KU uniform. His approach resulted in a 20-point night that included a 3-for-4 performance from downtown. Not to mention Garrett’s 3 assists, 1 block and 3 steals in 35 minutes. And an absolutely critical held ball tie-up in crunch time.

Lagerald Vick not only stayed hot from long range, draining 5 of 8 on the way to 21 points, but also distributed 4 assists.

Steady Devon Dotson, like Vick, didn’t turn the ball over once, while scoring 10 points, dishing 5 assists and making 1 of 2 from 3-point range.

Though Quentin Grimes opened the night by firing and burying a 3, he didn’t contribute a great deal afterward, finishing with 6 points (2 of 5 from deep) in 29 minutes.

Bench: C-
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For once, Ochai Agbaji looked more like a true freshman a week into his career than a veteran. Even so, Agbaji accounted for 4 of the team’s 6 bench points and 1 of his 2 assists setup Lawson for a late-game layup in a tight affair. The freshman guard chipped in 4 rebounds, as well.

Freshman big David McCormack scored the other basket for KU’s substitutes and played with energy and power for a brief stretch of the second half. McCormick provided 4 boards in 8 minutes.

UT’s subs outscored KU’s 24-6.

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