Competitors don’t look at the other side’s strengths and view them with fear. Instead, they see them as opportunities to beat the best.
Purdue has a bigger, more physical front line than any team Kansas has faced, and 6-foot-9, 250-pound Caleb Swanigan is the most productive post player in the nation.
“This is exactly what I like,” KU senior Landen Lucas said. “I couldn’t think of any matchup that I would enjoy more than this, so I’m looking forward to it.”
He wants to play as much as possible and watch as little as possible, one more reason he will try to solve the puzzle of playing a physical brand of basketball without getting into foul trouble.
“It’s tough,” Lucas said. “It really depends on how the refs are calling it. Hopefully, they’ll let us play. If they do and they let me play the way I want to, that’ll be good. And if not, I’ll have to make in-game adjustments.”
He makes those with his ears as much as anything.
“If they’re calling it really tight, I’ve had games where I’ve let that affect me a little about taking away aggressiveness,” Lucas said. “The best I can do is listen to what they’re saying.
A lot of times the refs are pretty good, especially after calling a couple of fouls and talking to you, letting you know where you could ease up a little bit more. If you just pay attention to what they’re saying, it makes it easier to adjust.”
Swanigan is a skilled passer who does a great job of passing from the post to the open 3-point shooter. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and especially Lagerald Vick haven’t always done a great job of recovering to shooters after helping out in the post.
Lucas did a nice job of explaining the key to helping without hurting.
“The big part of that is being in the initial position. If your body is already in the right spot to help, it’s easier to recover to your man afterward,” Lucas said. “If you’re helping as an afterthought, a lot of times the momentum of your body is going in the wrong position and it’s hard to get to shooters. So if everybody is in the right position to start, it’s easier to get back to the man.”
