Azubuike tops ratings after monster 2nd half in 60-53 win over West Virginia

By Matt Tait     Jan 4, 2020

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Kansas center Udoka Azubuike (35) and West Virginia forward Derek Culver (1) fight for a rebound during the second half, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020 at Allen Fieldhouse.

**1 – Udoka Azubuike -** Back-to-back games with double-digit rebounds for the KU center, but I’m not sure I can recall him working this hard on the glass. Fighting and scrapping for everything that came off the rim with two of the biggest monsters in the Big 12, Azubuike willed Kansas to win this war and did plenty of damage to the rim in the process, finishing several lobs that deflated the Mountaineers and gave the Jayhawks and their home crowd a big lift.

**2 – Christian Braun -** Started the second half and proved over and over again that he was worthy. Braun used his junkyard dog mentality to battle his way to an important night of production in his first Big 12 game.

**3 – Marcus Garrett -** Always such a calming influence on the game and his teammates, Garrett was at his best with the game on the line, showing what experience and confidence can do for a player in crucial moments.

**4 – Devon Dotson -** As KU coach Bill Self pointed out after the victory, Dotson’s ability to play all 40 minutes and handle the kind of hounding pressure that WVU throws at a point guard was nothing short of remarkable. He wasn’t perfect on either end, but considering he played the entire way, he was pretty darn close.

**5 – Ochai Agbaji -** Still looks a bit tentative in certain moments and needs to get more aggressive on the offensive end, both with his shot and attacking the rim. But he played roughly 37 minutes and had a couple of crucial plays along the way.

**6 – David McCormack -** As KU’s other starting big, McCormack had a golden opportunity to test himself against an elite front line. But it never materialized. He played little and watched KU play better with four guards on the floor. Delivered a couple of big moments — a key rebound and dunk on back-to-back possessions late — but didn’t do much beyond that.

**7 – Silvio De Sousa -** At one point, De Sousa found himself out there alongside McCormack in what was one of the Jayhawks’ strangest lineup combinations of the day. Foul trouble dictated it but De Sousa’s tentative play and inability to show off the explosiveness he had during his freshman season ensured that the lineup was short-lived.

**8 – Isaiah Moss -** Misfired bad on the couple of 3-point shots he took and did not follow up last weekend’s stellar game at Stanford with anything worth writing home about.

**9 – Tristan Enaruna -** Often described as “too casual,” this monster of a matchup was not the kind of game in which Enaruna could flourish and he played just over a minute.

Season Standings
———–

1 – Udoka Azubuike – 97

2 – Devon Dotson – 94

3 – Marcus Garrett – 82

4 – Ochai Agbaji – 81

5 – David McCormack – 63

6 – Isaiah Moss – 56

T7 – Tristan Enaruna – 43

T7 – Christian Braun – 43

9 – Silvio De Sousa – 35

10 – Jalen Wilson – 2x

*x = broke his ankle 20 seconds into the second game of the season and is expected to be out at least three months.*

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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.