Postgame Report Card: Kansas 71, UNLV 53

By Matt Tait     Dec 22, 2016

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Kansas guard Devonte' Graham, right, and forward Carlton Bragg Jr. fight for a rebound with UNLV guards Jalen Poyser (5) and Kris Clyburn (1) during the second half, Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Quick grades for five aspects of KU’s 71-53 victory over UNLV in Las Vegas on Thursday night.

Offense: B-
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The Jayhawks shot just .444 for the game, including .387 in the second half, and got sub-par statistical nights from dynamic duo Devonte’ Graham and Frank Mason III. Had it not been for the hot hand of Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and the extreme hustle of Josh Jackson, this easily would have been a straight C kind of night. The 71-point total was KU’s second-lowest output of the season (65 vs. Georgia) and snapped a six-game streak of scoring 89 points or better.

Defense: B
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Too many layups and uncontested three-pointers allowed the Rebels to kind of crawl back in it. But the Jayhawks did out-rebound UNLV 45-40 and limited the Rebels to .345 shooting for the night.

Frontcourt: B-
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Limited tremendously on the offensive end — Landen Lucas, Carlton Bragg and Mitch Lightfoot combined to shoot 3-of-7 for the game — the KU big men did enough on the glass and around the rim to creep into B range.

Backcourt: B-
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Two of the four starting guards struggled and two of the four were rock solid. That brings us to perimeter player No. 5, Lagerald Vick, who finished with five points, two rebounds, two blocks and an assist to go along with three turnovers and 2-of-5 shooting. Jackson and Svi were better at being good than Mason and Graham were good at being bad, so the backcourt gets hangs on for a B.

Bench: C
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Not a night to brag about for the Kansas bench. Carlton Bragg, Mitch Lightfoot, Dwight Coleby and Lagerald Vick combined to play just 46 minutes and, outside of an amazing block by Vick in transition and a couple of timely buckets and rebounds, nothing any of them did really stood out much.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.