Postgame Report Card: Kansas 80, Clemson 76

By Matt Tait     Mar 23, 2018

Kansas guard Malik Newman (14) swoops in for a bucket against Clemson forward Elijah Thomas (14) during the first half, Friday, March 23, 2018 at CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb.

Quick grades for five aspects of KU’s 80-76, Sweet 16 victory over fifth-seeded Clemson on Friday night in Omaha.

Offense: B
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KU shot it well enough — 47 percent overall and 46 percent from 3-point range — but the Jayhawks struggled to take care of the ball when it counted most and also shot just 14-of-22 from the free throw line. They’re going to have to do better in both areas on Sunday against Duke and a lot of the talk in the locker room after Friday’s victory was about how this team still has yet to play its best game of the tournament.

Defense: B
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The Jayhawks, for the most part, did a solid job of making things difficult for Clemson, using their switching style of perimeter D to chase the Tigers around and contest the jump shots Clemson did get. That all changed in the second half, when the Jayhawks got weak on the glass and allowed the Tigers to tally 14 offensive boards, while shooting 48.6 percent from the floor in the second half. Clemson coughed it up a bunch early on, but finished with just 12 turnovers for the game, a sign that KU’s defense took a step back when the Jayhawks built that big lead.

By the Numbers: Kansas 80, Clemson 76.

Frontcourt: A
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Udoka Azubuike and Silvio De Sousa were stars in this one. The duo combined for 23 points and 17 rebounds and gave Clemson’s front line fits all night. It wasn’t the most memorable night for sophomore forward Mitch Lightfoot, but he’s tough, mentally and physically, and will be able to flush the game and try to help KU get by Duke on Sunday. Azubuike and De Sousa, however, will carry huge importance in that one, much like they did in this one.

Backcourt: A-
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Even though KU’s guards were almost exclusively responsible for letting that huge lead slip away, they also were a huge part of the reason KU got up that big in the first place. So you have to consider both sides of the equation when looking back at this one and it seems to me that the Kansas backcourt did far more good than bad in Friday’s victory. The lone exception was Svi Mykhailiuk, who shot 4-of-11, 1-of-4 from 3-point range and did not grab a single rebound. His veteran presence made up for some of those numbers, but he’ll need to shoot the ball better on Sunday.

Bench: C+
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De Sousa was solid and Lightfoot was off, but Marcus Garrett also had an uncharacteristically quiet game against Clemson. It wasn’t that he was bad, just that he did not impact the game nearly as much as he normally does. Garrett missed both shots he attempted, two of the four free throws he shot and did not grab a rebound or dish an assist and picked up just one steal yet three fouls in 14 minutes.

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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.