Tuesday’s 87-76 victory over Oklahoma State was perhaps the truest definition of a team win for No. 5 Kansas.
Every single front court player for the Jayhawks dealt with foul trouble, including their leader in Jalen Wilson. Dajuan Harris Jr. and Kevin McCullar Jr. both suffered injuries, and Kansas (21-5, 9-4 Big 12) was forced to throw several different lineup combinations onto the floor during its third consecutive victory.
But perhaps the best indication of KU’s team victory was its season-high 26 assists against an Oklahoma State team (16-10, 7-6 Big 12) that had won five in a row entering Tuesday’s matchup.
“Tonight it looked good to me when the ball moved and we shared it,” Kansas coach Bill Self said after the win in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The Jayhawks did plenty of sharing against the Cowboys.
KU’s 26 dimes ended up being two more than any other game this season, besting 24-assist performances against Omaha and Missouri. It marked the most assists the Jayhawks have recorded in a conference game since March 2, 2013 against West Virginia and the most in a road league game since Feb. 11, 2002 at Texas.
The 26 assists resulted in 35 made baskets, good for an assist rate of 74.2%. Eight different players recorded at least one assist, with half of them finishing with multiple dimes.
“We have to play that way, we don’t have guys that are great one-on-one players and so we need ball and body movement,” Self said. “When the ball moves like that, I do think we have enough scorers out there that we are pretty hard to guard.”
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PHOTO GALLERY: Kansas basketball at Oklahoma State
Box score: Kansas 87, Oklahoma State 76
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For the most part, the Jayhawks have done that this season. They rank 11th in the country with an assist rate of 61%, which trails only Kansas State (64.1%) among Big 12 teams.
This year’s team is currently posting the best season-long assist rate since the 2007-08 campaign, when the eventual national champions recorded an assist on 61.1% of its baskets. The Jayhawks actually finished with an assist rate of 61% or higher in four of the first five seasons under Self, but haven’t done so since.
Perhaps the biggest downside to this style of play is that it limits KU’s production at the free throw line. The Jayhawks rank 265th in the country in points via free throws, per Ken Pomeroy.
“It tells you that you are getting all your shots off the catch, which is fine,” Self said of the season-high 26 assists. “But it tells you that you are probably not getting fouled as much because you are not playing one-on-one.”
When it works, it can be beautiful basketball to watch, with players willing to make the extra pass to find open shots.
Harris paced the team with nine assists, and it is honestly difficult to decipher which one was his best. He threw a no-look pass that led to a dunk for McCullar right before the first media timeout. Harris also hit Dick on a back-cut while hobbling up the court moments after suffering his ankle injury during the second half.
McCullar, who finished with eight assists in the win, set the tone by finding KJ Adams for a dunk on KU’s first basket of the night. McCullar’s biggest assist came right before the break, when he fired a pass to Dick in the corner for the go-ahead triple as time expired.
sneakin’ a GD3 in before the buzzer ???? pic.twitter.com/Py6L4hi3aU
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) February 15, 2023
“It was a huge 3,” Wilson said. “Any shot to close out the half on the road is huge.”
Kansas never again trailed after that basket.
According to Synergy Sports Technology, Kansas scored 28 points as a team on catch-and-shoot opportunities like the one before halftime. It marked the team’s best such performance since scoring 29 at Texas Tech and 31 in the first meeting against Oklahoma State.
Dick was the biggest beneficiary of this, of course, as he scored a career-high 26 points in the win. But it wouldn’t have been possible if the Jayhawks weren’t moving the ball around, and emphasizing getting the ball inside for the duration of the contest.
“We prepare for that (during) the whole week of practice,” Dick said. “Our preparation was just moving the ball, and if we get to the paint, it will just open up a lot of holes to expose.”
Now tied for first place in the Big 12 standings, Kansas hopes to maintain this momentum with Baylor coming to town on Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse.
