Nick KrugWichita — At this rate, Kansas center Udoka Azubuike might soon be starting for the Golden State Warriors.
No, there was no talk about the 7-foot sophomore’s NBA future on Wednesday’s media day at Intrust Bank Arena ahead of top-seeded KU’s first-round NCAA Tournament matchup with No. 16 seed Penn at 1 p.m. on Thursday.
But in the 16 hours between when the Jayhawks got off the bus in Wichita on Tuesday night and opened their locker room door to the media on Wednesday, Azubuike’s ailing left knee made even more progress than it already had.
“He practiced four possessions today, live,” KU coach Bill Self said Wednesday. “So he showed he could do it, but it’ll be a game-time decision to determine whether he’ll be utilized or not, but he’s doing much better.”
In addition to participating in interviews in the KU locker room, Azubuike went through KU’s open practice, which drew a wild crowd of 13,695 people to Intrust Bank Arena, and seemed to move better as the practice went along.
While none of what he did Wednesday resembled what he would see in an actual game, both Self and Azubuike seemed encouraged by the center’s progress and remained optimistic that he could be back on the court this week.
“We feel, and the docs feel, that he’s making unbelievable progress. We do not want to have a setback, but we certainly feel he’s getting better each day and each day has certainly played out to be a pretty big improvement from a rehab standpoint. So I’m optimistic he can get in the game (vs. Penn). I’m not overly optimistic he can play significant minutes or be a real positive force inside for us. But I do think he can be out there.”
Azubuike, who missed three games in the Big 12 tournament because of a Grade 1 sprain of the MCL in his left knee, clearly wants to be out there with his teammates. But he said Wednesday that he was willing to be patient and obey doctor’s orders.
Azubuike said the past couple of days have been his first experience with wearing a brace and admitted that he was still a little limited by the injury. Self said he thought it was realistic to think Azubuike could be at 70-80 percent by game time and then could be up to 90 percent by Saturday if the Jayhawks advance.
“What the doctor wants me to do, that’s what I’m going to do right now” Azubuike said. “It’s really how I feel and how the doctor feels. I’ve been making a lot of improvement in my rehab and my light workout and hopefully I’m good to go. If what I feel is in line with what the doctor feels then I’m good to go.”
Outside of KU seniors Devonte’ Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk, who enter today’s game with 20 combined games of NCAA Tournament experience, the Jayhawks are a relatively inexperienced bunch at this point in the season.
Freshmen Marcus Garrett and Silvio De Sousa, along with sophomores Malik Newman and Udoka Azubuike (if he plays), will be competing in their first NCAA Tournament games. Mitch Lightfoot, who is expected to start, played all of nine minutes in four games in last year’s tournament. And even junior Lagerald Vick has played in just five NCAA Tournament games in his career.
While that blend does not exactly put the Jayhawks in rarified air, it did make Wednesday’s experience one to remember for several Jayhawks.
“Just taking the court. That’s all,” said Newman, when asked what he was looking forward to most. “Even this shoot-around that we’re getting ready to have, I’m excited about that because I’ve never been a part of it and it’s just an exciting moment.”
Added Graham of the emotions surrounding the start of his final NCAA Tournament: “It’s crazy. I can’t believe it. But it’s reality so everybody’s just got to lock in and keep it going for me.”
“I think about it all the time,” he added of how any game from this point on could be his last. “That’s what keeps me going and keeps that drive and hunger actually there.”
Senior point guard Devonte’ Graham is a finalist for a handful of national player of the year awards. But that is the farthest thing from Graham’s mind at this point in the season.
“I don’t really think about it,” he said. “I’m just playing my game, doing whatever it takes to help the team win and keep advancing. If I win it, I win it. If I don’t, I don’t. I just want to keep winning with these guys and make this run special.”
Asked for his thoughts and emotions about reaching this point on the heels of Frank Mason III’s national player of the year season a year ago, Graham was honest.
“I didn’t think I would be a Wooden Award player,” he said. “But I don’t really pay too much attention to it. Just like Frank. We’re not really high on all the individual awards because we weren’t highly recruited and all that and we’re not used to it and don’t know how to react to it.”
Today’s clash will mark a reunion of sorts for Gilbert, Arizona products Lightfoot and Sam Jones, a senior forward from Penn.
“We were sitting in the movie theater in McCarthy Hall, watching the Selection Show and Penn came on the board and I was like, ‘Oh, I know someone there. That’s kind of funny,'” recalled Lightfoot of the moment when he realized he would be facing one of his close friends. “But he’s been doing great this year and his team’s been doing exceptional so I’m really excited to get to play against him.”
Although the two grew up near each other and worked out together often, they never played high school ball together and will be foes for the first time today.
“Yeah, he lives right down the road from me,” Lightfoot said. “So, whenever you want to get a workout in, just text him. It’s crazy to think. It’s such a small world. One of your best friends that you can just hit up whenever and now you’re playing him in the tournament.”
While most of the talk this week has been about how the Jayhawks are playing two-and-a-half hours from their home gym in their home state.
But the folks in Wichita have made it their mission, presumably for months, to make this event about more than the Jayhawks.
The town is alive with March Madness fever and that fact was not lost on Penn coach Steve Donahue, who opened his press conference Wednesday with nine simple words: “First of all, it’s great to be in Wichita.”
Donahue was dead serious.
“It’s great to go to a place where you can tell the level of excitement is so genuine for the NCAA Tournament. This doesn’t happen everywhere, and for our guys to experience this and the level of excitement that exists is second to none. When I saw we were going to Wichita, I was really happy. I wasn’t happy when I saw we were going to play Kansas, but I was happy to be in Wichita and really excited for our opportunity.”
That excitement might have taken a small hit on Wednesday, when more than 13,000 basketball fans — most of them decked out in KU blue — packed Intrust Bank Arena for KU’s 40-minute open practice.
“This has been an unbelievable basketball town over time,” Self said.
Added Graham of the likely scenario that paints Kansas with an significant advantage in fans in the stands: “It’ll be great. It’s just like having a home-court game. It’s just great for people in Wichita, who really don’t get to come out and see us and that’s the best benefit of being a 1 seed. You get to play close to home.”
