Nick KrugNo. 6 Kansas Jayhawks (23-5 overall, 12-3 Big 12) at TCU Horned Frogs (18-9 overall, 7-8 Big 12)
Time: 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Location: Schollmaier Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
TV: Big 12 Now/ESPN+
Radio: IMG Jayhawk Radio Network
1. Gang rebounding
TCU enters this one as the No. 1 rebounding team in the Big 12 Conference, at 39.1 per game, just ahead of KU in second at 37.4 per game.
Size has something to do with that, but so, too, does TCU’s athleticism, which Kansas coach Bill Self said was right up there with Oklahoma State’s, which he has called the most athletic team in the Big 12 throughout the season.
Evidence for that comes in the form of a look at where the Horned Frogs are getting their rebounds, and Self said TCU’s balanced effort on the boards night in and night out makes them a tough matchup for anybody.
“They’re the best rebounding team, statistically, in our league and their leading rebounder averages six,” Self said Monday. “They’re all getting four or five a game. They all are. And that’s a sign of a good rebounding team.”
Self and the Jayhawks have seen plenty of rebounding forces throughout the years, both in terms of individuals and a team. But Self said Monday he would way rather face a team that features one guy who gets 12 rebounds per game than a team like TCU that has so many players who can all go get a bunch.
Five TCU players average 4.0 rebounds or better and a sixth is right there with a 3.7 rebounds-per-game average. Big men Emmanuel Miller (6.3) and Eddie Lampkin (5.8) lead the attack, but their guards and wings have shown that they’re not afraid to mix it up in the paint, as well.
In an upset of No. 9 Texas Tech last week, the Frogs actually lost the battle on the boards 25-22 but out-rebounded Texas Tech 7-3 on the offensive glass with wings attacking the rim on missed shots over and over.
“We just have to embrace the physicality of the game,” KU sophomore Jalen Wilson said Monday. “Being on the road it’s going to be even tougher, so just be the aggressor and be the team that wants it more.”
2. Ball screen defense has to be better
On more than one occasion this season, Self has mentioned his frustration about his team’s ball-screen defense.
Last Saturday’s loss at Baylor was another one of those times — after which Self said simply, “We didn’t guard it very well at all.” — and the Jayhawks continue to make improvement in that area an emphasis as they try to fine-tune their defense for the stretch run.
On Monday, Self further explained what his guards need to do to stay connected to their man when the ball screens arrive.
“I think our guards can do a better job of guarding the ball hot and jamming it so it’s easier to get over,” Self said of the of the strategy of staying tighter to the player they’re defending so that when the ball screen comes there’s less space for the opposing guard to maneuver around it.
Self said KU’s wings, in particular, far too often allow themselves to be taken out of the play by the screen and find themselves trying to fight through the screener’s chest instead of jumping it and putting their lead leg over the screener’s body while staying close to their man.
“Every time you’re screened, the big man has to react,” Self explained. “And the longer the big man has to stay makes your ball-screen defense worse.”
Wilson said “not getting hit by screens” had been KU’s main focus of late, as the Jayhawks seek to try to prevent opposing guards from getting downhill and picking the Kansas defense apart from a position of strength.
According to Wilson, the best way to handle ball screens is a two-pronged approach.
“Guards getting over and bigs stepping up to it,” he said. “The Big 12 has so many good guards.”
3. Maintain contact with Miles
One of those good guards is TCU sophomore Mike Miles Jr., who leads the Frogs in scoring at 15.3 points per game.
A volume shooter who entered the week ranked fourth in the conference in free throws attempted (117), Miles does a lot of his damage because he has the ball so often and his teammates know how to play off of him and help him out.
In addition to leading the Horned Frogs in scoring, Miles leads the team in steals (35), ranks second in assists, just two behind the team leader, (97) and is averaging 3.7 rebounds per game.
In TCU’s upset of Texas Tech last week, Miles went for 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting, while grabbing five steals to go along with his four rebounds and four assists.
Miles appears to be asserting himself more in recent weeks, too. He has not attempted fewer than 13 shots in any of TCU’s last four games — that after attempt single-digit shots in three of TCU’s previous six games — and he has scored 15 points or more in his last three games, giving him 15 or more in 13 of TCU’s 27 games this season.
With a good blend of size and explosiveness, the Highland Hills, Texas native has the potential to hit the Kansas defense at all three levels — on the drive, from the perimeter and at the free throw line.
Miles is solid off of ball screens, so staying connected to him, if Kansas is able to do it, will satisfy two of the three keys in this one.
“He is capable of putting up big numbers,” Self said of Miles on Monday. “That’ll obviously be a huge emphasis for us.”
KU bench vs. Recent performances
The Kansas bench has been up and down all season, with various players playing huge roles at times and also disappearing at others.
In last Saturday’s loss at Baylor, six players off the KU bench logged just 27 total minutes, providing very little in the way of support for the starting five. Kansas coach Bill Self Monday that the Jayhawks need more from their reserves and also admitted that there’s an easier way to get that.
“I thought our bench was just OK the other day,” Self said. “But I’m not sure I gave them a lot of opportunities to play through maybe just being OK.”
It can be tough to give too many opportunities to a bench that features so many inexperienced Jayhawks. But Self said there was one player who should be expected to do better — senior forward Mitch Lightfoot.
“We’ve got to get more out of Mitch,” Self said of the veteran reserve who finished scoreless with four fouls in just four minutes at Baylor. “Defensive presence, you know. He made a couple of really poor plays defensively and they (shot) layups. That happened too much.”
Beyond Lightfoot, Self noted that KJ Adams provided a couple of good minutes and moments and that guards Jalen Coleman-Lands and Joe Yesufu weren’t out there enough to do much.
It’s clear at this point that the Jayhawks plan to ride its starters as far as they will take them. But when the bench is out there, be it big minutes or small, they have to give something positive rather than just being placeholders.
It’s even more clear that not all of them will get opportunities every night, with Self saying Monday that going nine deep — and likely less — would be the plan throughout March.
Last Saturday’s loss to Baylor knocked the Jayhawks’ lead in the Big 12 race to just a half game, with three to play. But several KU players and coaches made sure to point out then — and again on Monday — that the Jayhawks still control their own fate in terms of winning the conference.
“We control our own destiny,” Self said Monday. “If we take care of business in all three games we don’t need any help.”
With two of the final three regular season games at home, Kansas is in good position to close this thing out. But the Jayhawks haven’t exactly been terrible on the road either.
A win at TCU on Tuesday night would give Kansas a 6-3 road record in conference play this season, with the three losses coming at No. 3 Baylor, at No. 12 Texas Tech and at No. 21 Texas.
Beyond playing for the Big 12 crown and the No. 1 seed in next week’s Big 12 tournament, the Jayhawks also are playing for seeding in the NCAA Tournament, where they are still very much alive for a No. 1 seed and would likely lock one up by winning the next three games.
That’s not to say any of the three will be easy. TCU just beat Texas Tech, which nearly knocked off Kansas twice. And Texas already beat the Jayhawks once. So KU will need to play well and stay locked in to get to the finish line in first place.
At the same time, with its NCAA Tournament hopes in good shape after the recent win over Tech, TCU is also playing for postseason seeding and Jamie Dixon’s squad knows that pairing a good win over the Red Raiders with one — or perhaps even two — over Kansas would go a long way toward making the Frogs’ postseason road as favorable as it can be.
The Jayhawks lead the all-time series with TCU 22-2, which includes a 9-1 mark in games played at Schollmaier Arena.
Kansas has won eight in a row in the series and 18 of the last 19, dating back to 2013.
KenPom.com lists KU with a five-point edge and a 68% win probability in this one and an 11-point advantage and 85% win probability in the rematch on Thursday at Allen Fieldhouse.
That game is a make-up game for what was supposed to be the conference opener for both teams back on Jan. 1. The game was called off because of COVID-19 issues within the Horned Frogs program at the time.
No. 6 Kansas
G – Dajuan Harris Jr., 6-1, 180, Soph.
G – Ochai Agbaji, 6-5, 210, Sr.
G – Christian Braun, 6-7, 205, Jr.
F – Jalen Wilson, 6-8, 225, Soph.
F – David McCormack, 6-10, 265, Sr.
TCU Horned Frogs
G – Mike Miles Jr., 6-2, 195, Soph.
G – Damion Baugh, 6-4, 195, Jr.
F – Chuck O’Bannon, 6-6, 215, Sr.
F – Emmanuel Miller, 6-7, 215, Jr.
C – Eddie Lampkin, 6-11, 268, Fr.
Nick KrugNo. 6 Kansas Jayhawks (8-2 overall, 2-1 Big 12) vs. TCU Horned Frogs (9-2 overall, 2-1 Big 12)
Time: 9 p.m.
Location: Schollmaier Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
TV: ESPN | Radio: IMG Jayhawk Radio Network
Log on to KUsports.com for our live game blog coverage and follow the KUsports.com staff on Twitter: @KUSports @mctait @bentonasmith & @SJacksonLJW
1. Just play
Two days after lamenting his team’s lack of energy in a 25-point home loss to Texas, Kansas coach Bill Self was still talking about his team needing to play “turned up” the rest of the season to reach its potential.
The Jayhawks were flat in just about all aspects against Texas, but Self said he expected to see much more energy and intensity from his team tonight.
The reason? He’s seen it before.
Self pointed to the season opener against Gonzaga as an example of how his team found a way to play hard no matter what. Even with the Zags opening up a double-digit first-half lead in that one, KU kept coming and eventually tied the game early in the second half.
Once Texas got up big on Saturday, the Longhorns merely kept adding to their lead.
“I’m not saying (it was) because we didn’t try,” Self said Monday during a Zoom call with reporters. “I’m saying we weren’t turned up enough to understand twelve’s plenty. We can’t give them any more. Against Gonzaga, we didn’t give them more and then it gave (us) some momentum. Against Texas, we did give them more and then it kind of deflates you.”
Self said that leadership, fire and pride are all factors that impact the concept of playing hard and not worrying about the scoreboard. And he tried to emphasize in the past couple of days that the Jayhawks should be battling and trying to execute at a high level at all times in every game, regardless of the score or situation.
“When we tasted our own blood (against Texas), we didn’t react very well,” Self said. “I thought our effort was very (tied to) the score of the game the other day. I didn’t feel that against Gonzaga. They wanted to grind and play regardless.”
2. Limit unforced errors
Maybe it was just rust or the early tipoff, but last Saturday’s loss to Texas was full of sloppy mistakes and turnovers early on.
The Jayhawks will want to avoid a repeat of that in this one, because if they do, they should be able to run their sets the way they want and get good shots throughout the game.
TCU ranks 225th nationally, per KenPom.com, in turnover rate, forcing turnovers on just 18.3% of opponents’ possessions. That number drops to 15% when looking only at conference games, and the Frogs rank last in the Big 12 in turnovers forced.
Kansas, meanwhile, is slightly better than the national average when it comes to taking care of the ball, turning it over on 17.8% of its offensive possessions, which ranks 98th nationally and is just ahead of the 19.6% Division I average.
The Jayhawks have recorded more turnovers than their opponent just twice this season — both times in a victory — and have finished with 12 or fewer turnovers during six of their 10 games.
That recipe bodes well any time a team goes on the road, and, provided Marcus Garrett can play, it should be a realistic goal in this one.
If Garrett’s out (more on that in a minute), taking care of the basketball and making smart, strong decisions will take on more importance and should draw even greater emphasis.
3. Bigs play big
Starting big man David McCormack struggled against Texas and was actually benched to start the second half.
Senior Mitch Lightfoot brought some more energy to the floor when he was out there, but did not grab a rebound or score a point, while McCormack finished with eight points, all from the free throw line.
It’s no secret that the Jayhawks need to find a way to get some consistently strong play from their two veterans in the front court. And Self said Monday that he believes there’s an obvious way to get the two going.
“This sounds very, very easy,” Self began. “(But) I’d like to see our bigs play to their size. Whether it’s offensively or defensively, I’d like for them to play to their size.”
At times this season, both players have done that. And when they have, Kansas has been at its best.
“They don’t have to score, they don’t have to do a lot of things that maybe people equate to (being) a good game or good performance,” he said. “But there’s ways that they can impact us and make our team so much better.”
Getting on the glass and protecting the paint are two of the more obvious examples. But Self noted that there are many subtle things, too, from hedging on a ball screen to protect the man guarding the ball to running to the rim to force the defense to react to playing above the rim and bringing some energy to the floor with a vicious dunk.
“I mean, when’s the last time we had a dunk,” Self asked.
Lightfoot said he and McCormack are constantly pushing each other and breaking down each other’s play in hopes of finding the consistency this team needs. He also believes productive play from the 5 spot is still very attainable.
“We need someone who can protect the paint and we need someone that’s going to score from the inside and I think both David and I can do that,” Lightfoot said. “We’ve shown it in the past and we need to get back to it.”
Dajuan Harris’ role Tuesday vs. Reasonable Expectations
As of Monday afternoon, there was a chance that senior point guard Marcus Garrett (head injury) might not be able to play in this one. And if he doesn’t, that’s going to significantly impact Harris’ role and minutes.
With freshman guard Bryce Thompson definitely sidelined for this game because of a back injury, the loss of Garrett would leave the Jayhawks without two of their primary ball handlers and two of their better defenders, as well.
“If Marcus can’t go, Dajuan may play 40 minutes in that particular situation,” Self said Monday. “So, yeah; his role will definitely be impacted in a very favorable way for him if that’s the case.”
In his first 10 games with the Jayhawks, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound redshirt freshman is averaged 14.6 minutes per game while primarily serving as Garrett’s backup.
So far, Harris has played four games of 10 minutes or fewer and three games of 20 minutes or more, and his 21 assists rank tied for third on the team while his nine steals rank fourth.
There have been moments when the two point guards have been on the court together, and other moments when Kansas has looked and played its best with Harris on the floor. So if the pass-first second stringer has to step into a more substantial role, Self is not at all worried about his ability to handle it.
“I don’t know that, 10 games into his career, he’s equipped to say OK, go win on the road by yourself with no backup,” Self said. “I don’t know how many guys are like that. But he’s ready. I mean, he’s ready to have a huge impact and play.”
Although the Jayhawks getting blown out at home has been incredibly rare during Self’s time in town, the Jayhawks have usually done well in responding to that type of loss.
In the past three seasons alone, KU followed up a double-digit loss with a win of at least nine points six separate times.
That includes this season, when the Jayhawks responded to a 12-point loss to Gonzaga in the opener with a 22-point win over Saint Joseph’s the next day. Five of those six victories after tough losses were by double figures. And two of them were away from home.
Repeating that feat is the situation this team is currently facing, and the Jayhawks appear to be upbeat about bouncing back.
“You can’t let one one loss become two,” Lightfoot said. “That’s gonna be a big part of it.”
TCU enters this one ranked 62nd nationally in the KenPom.com rankings and with two Big 12 road wins (at Oklahoma State and at Kansas State) already under their belts.
Beyond that, the Horned Frogs have wins over top-100 programs Texas A&M and Tulsa and single-digit losses to Oklahoma and Providence.
Although the TCU roster features several new faces who have not faced Kansas before, coach Jamie Dixon’s team still has a couple of veterans who know what it takes to compete on this stage.
Most notably, junior center Kevin Samuel and junior guard RJ Nembhard.
Nembhard leads the Big 12 in scoring at 18.7 points per game and is sixth in the conference in field goal percentage (48.8%) and assists (4.4 per game).
Samuel is the only Big 12 player currently averaging a double-double (10.2 points and 10.2 rebounds). He also averages 2.6 blocks per game and leads the team in steals, with 16. Self also called freshman guard Mike Miles, “one of the most elite young kids in our league.”
“They’re good,” Self said. “The last five games they’ve been very good. They’ve got a good team and they definitely pose some challenges.”
Kansas leads the all-time series with TCU, 20-2 and has won six in a row and 16 of the last 17 games, dating back to the 2012-13 season.
KenPom lists Kansas as a four-point favorite, with a 65% win probability.
No. 6 Kansas
G – Marcus Garrett, 6-5, 195, Sr.
G – Ochai Agbaji, 6-5, 210, Jr.
G – Christian Braun, 6-6, 205, Soph.
G – Jalen Wilson, 6-7, 190, RS-Fr.
F – David McCormack, 6-10, 265, Jr.
TCU
G – Mike Miles, 6-2, 195, Fr.
G – RJ Nembhard, 6-5, 195, Jr.
G – PJ Fuller, 6-4, 175, Soph.
F – Kevin Easley Jr., 6-7, 225, Soph.
F – Kevin Samuel, 6-11, 255, Jr.
