It’s Wilson again at the top of the ratings after KU’s 65-61 win over North Dakota State

By Matt Tait     Dec 5, 2020

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Kansas forward Jalen Wilson (10) heads to the bucket between North Dakota State Bison guard Maleeck Harden-Hayes (23) and North Dakota State Bison forward Grant Nelson (4) during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 at Allen Fieldhouse.

**1 – Jalen Wilson -** Didn’t shoot it great (5-of-15), but he looks absolutely locked in on both ends of the floor. And he still led the team in scoring with 14 points while adding 15 boards. But just as impressive as those big things is the way he does the little things, like executing a perfect box out or fighting to get his own shot back after his first attempt is blocked. There can’t be too many players in the country playing with this much confidence right now.

**2 – Tyon Grant-Foster -** By far his best game as a Jayhawk and he came up huge down the stretch, with a big bucket, a big block and the ability to draw an offensive foul all in the final 70 seconds. Grant-Foster’s confidence is growing and so is his understanding of what will lead to more minutes. A month from now, he’ll be a completely different player and we’ll laugh at the fact that he had trouble getting into games during the season’s first couple of weeks.

**3 – Ochai Agbaji -** So steady yet again, Agbaji finished with double figures for the fifth consecutive game. His personal 7-0 run in the game’s opening minutes helped KU weather a strong start by the Bison. And he played 35+ minutes and swiped two steals.

**4 – Marcus Garrett -** Not his best day shooting the ball — just 2-of-9 versus some legit NDSU length — but he was a pest on defense, both as a thief and a shot alterer. Played 37 minutes and appears to be ready for a day or two off.

**5 – Christian Braun -** Braun got KU’s scoring going with a 3-pointer from the corner and then missed five of the next six shots he attempted the rest of the game. Still managed 9 points and 6 rebounds, but also turned it over three times.

**6 – Mitch Lightfoot -** In far fewer minutes than his front court mate, Lightfoot did what McCormack struggled to do by scoring in the post for two buckets in two attempts. He also added 3 rebounds in just 3:04 of playing time.

**7 – David McCormack -** Had his moments where things went well and then had others when they didn’t. Shot just 3-of-8 from the floor and grabbed only 2 rebounds in 13 minutes. The key for McCormack continues to be poise and balance. When he has those things, he’s good. When he doesn’t, he’s not.

**8 – Dajuan Harris -** A pretty quiet day for the back-up point guard who has stolen the hearts of KU fans in the past couple of weeks. Just not the kind of matchup that suited his size or game.

**9 – Bryce Thompson -** Confident and fearless in almost any situation. He’s still working on fine-tuning his shot and taking the right opportunities. It’ll come. Two points and two fouls in 15 minutes, which are always valuable, regardless of his stat line, given the fact that he gives KU another ball handler on the floor.

**10 – Tristan Enaruna -** Played five minutes and made the only shot he attempted on a nice driving scoop with his right hand in the first half. Other than that, he was hard to notice in the limited time he was out there.

**Season Standings**

T1 – Ochai Agbaji – 48

T1 – Jalen Wilson – 48

3 – Marcus Garrett – 38

4 – Christian Braun – 36

5 – Dajuan Harris – 31

6 – Bryce Thompson – 28

7 – David McCormack – 26

8 – Tyon Grant-Foster – 23

9 – Mitch Lightfoot – 22

10 – Tristan Enaruna – 14

11 – Gethro Muscadin – 3

12 – Latrell Jossell – 2

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.