Nick KrugWatching Frank Mason and Devonté Graham play together for the final 10:34 Saturday, turning a one-point lead over Texas into a 75-62 Kansas University victory in the Erwin Center felt a little like watching the Royals’ stress-free bullpen work.
Mason and Graham have a knack for taking pressure off of each other and putting it on opposing defenses.
“When we’re in the game at the same time, that’s our job,” Graham said. “Coach always tells us we’ve got to get a good shot every possession, so taking care of the ball is the key to getting a good shot every possession. We can’t just be out there turning the ball over as point guards.”
Graham has proof that he values possessions, both preserving them and stealing them. He not only has a 3.4-to-1 assists-to-turnover ratio, he has more steals (11) than turnovers (8).
The hand Self played for the final 10:34 Saturday in Austin wasn’t available to him in six games this season, including a 25-point loss at Temple, because Graham was lost to injuries. He won’t go in that direction for such a long stretch in every game, but the coach has nothing but confidence in the tandem.
The two small guards played together for 12 minutes in all Saturday, and the statistics backed up what everybody’s eyes saw. The Jayhawks play more aggressively, move the ball better and get better shots when Graham and Mason form the backcourt.
In the 28 minutes that either Mason or Graham was on the court, but not both, Kansas and Texas played to a stalemate, 44-44. KU shot .386 from the field and had three turnovers with one point guard, and shot .556 with no turnovers with two point guards.
Clutch free-throw shooting is another factor that gives Graham and Mason a Wade Davis/Greg Holland feel to them.
In the final five minutes of games, Graham has made 22 of 24 free throws (.917), Mason 19 of 23 (.826). Those numbers scream composure and conditioning.
Now that Perry Ellis is playing with restored confidence, Cliff Alexander has a better understanding of what it takes to stay on the court and Graham is healthy, Kansas has made a big leap in a short time and has established itself as the favorite to make it 11 Big 12 titles in a row.
Of course, as soon as the players believe the race is over, it won’t be, because any team in the conference is capable of staging a major upset, as was illustrated Saturday when Texas Tech shocked Iowa State.
No doubt, though, Kansas will be as tough to catch from behind in the Big 12 race as it is in games.
Nick KrugFrank Mason checked back in, and Devonté Graham stayed on the floor with 11:52 remaining and the score tied in a game with Florida that Kansas University won Friday night, 71-65.
The game changed.
The comeback from a deficit that grew as large as 18 points already was well underway, the deficit trimmed to 10 points, but with two small guards on the floor together, the momentum shifted to another speed. Mason and Graham attacked, putting Florida defenders in retreat mode. The duo also changed the game at the other end, applying defensive pressure that made it tougher for the Gators to hang onto the ball and get into their offensive flow.
By the time Mason sprained his ankle and limped off the court, KU had tied the score with 5:46 left. In that span of 6:06, the Jayhawks had outscored Florida, 15-5. Mason had two steals during the stretch, the smooth-passing Graham one.
“Those guys need to play together some, there’s no question about that,” Self said during his Monday news conference. “We put so much pressure on the defense when those guys were in there together, as opposed to when just one of them was in the game.”
Mason returned for the final three minutes, and Graham stayed out there with him. Graham contributed nine points, three assists and three steals in 13 second-half minutes.
“It’s a confidence booster, knowing that coach trusts me through a stretch like that,” Graham said afterward. “The whole team and coaching staff have confidence in me, so I’m not really low on confidence, but it’s a good confidence-booster being in there at the end of the game like that.”
Next up for Graham, Cliff Alexander, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Kelly Oubre is their first true road game, at 6 p.m. today vs. Georgetown.
Mason’s activity has been limited by the ankle injury, but he practiced Tuesday and is set to play.
Georgetown’s guards are much bigger than Florida’s, so Self might not want to play Graham and Mason together as much. Then again, depending on how things go, he might want to speed things up or pester Georgetown’s guards by making them battle quickness.
Mason, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, is from Petersburg, Virginia, roughly a two-hour drive from Verizon Center. The 6-2 Graham is from Raleigh, North Carolina, twice as long a drive. If Self does play them together, it won’t be for the friends and family in the stands. The long (David Padgett) and the short (Conner Frankamp) of it is that Self doesn’t coach to satisfy parents. He coaches to win games.
