When Kansas and Kentucky square off, college basketball fans expect to see some of the best players in the sport on the floor.
A battle between a pair of blue blood programs should feature a number of McDonald’s All Americans, and Saturday’s showdown between the Jayhawks and the Wildcats is no different.
Between the two rosters, there is a total of 11 players that played in the McDonald’s All American game in high school. The Jayhawks have five players, but only four could see the floor with center Udoka Azubuike out for the rest of the season.
Devon Dotson, Quentin Grimes and David McCormack all participated in the McDonald’s All American game last year. Dedric Lawson played in the game in 2015. For Kentucky, Keldon Johnson, E.J. Montgomery and Immanuel Quickley were all 2018 contestants. Nick Richards and PJ Washington participated in 2017, while Reid Travis played in the 2014 McDonald’s Al American Game.
Obviously, the number of McDonald’s All Americans will have little impact on who wins this game. KU’s second-leading scorer, Lagerald Vick, was not on this list. Marcus Garrett, the team’s best defensive player, did not play in the game either.
But for the sake of this blog, let’s compare notable numbers of these McDonald’s All Americans. Azubuike will not be included in this breakdown, given that he won’t have a chance to play a second this weekend.
**Minutes played**
Kansas
Lawson — 611 minutes, 32.2 mpg
Dotson — 605 minutes, 31.8 mpg
Grimes — 477 minutes, 25.1 mpg
McCormack — 118 minutes, 6.6 mpg
Kentucky
Johnson — 539 minutes, 29.9 mpg
Travis — 548 minutes, 28.2 mpg
Washington — 497 minutes, 27.6 mpg
Quickley — 372 minutes, 20.7 mpg
Montgomery — 259 minutes, 14.4 mpg
Richards — 206 minutes, 11.4 mpg
**Points**
Kansas
Lawson — 370 points, 19.5 ppg
Dotson — 207 points, 10.9 ppg
Grimes — 156 points, 8.2 ppg
McCormack — 37 points, 2.1 ppg
Kentucky
Johnson — 264 points, 14.7 ppg
Travis — 226 points, 12.6 ppg
Washington — 222 points, 12.3 ppg
Quickley — 122 points, 6.8 ppg
Montgomery — 78 points, 4.3 ppg
Richards — 59 points, 3.3 ppg
**Usage rating**
Kansas
Lawson — 28.9
Grimes — 19.7
Dotson — 17.5
McCormack — 16.5
Kentucky
Johnson — 22.7
Washington — 21.5
Travis — 21.1
Montgomery — 18.4
Quickley — 15.3
Richards — 14.6
**Offensive rating**
(Per KenPom.com)
Kansas
Lawson — 114.7
Dotson — 109.8
McCormack — 109.1
Grimes — 93.0
Kentucky
Quickley — 119.5
Richards — 115.7
Washington — 118
Travis — 117.1
Johnson — 116.7
Montgomery — 98.5
