Christian Braun goes bonkers to spark Kansas and top ratings in 81-60 win over K-State

By Matt Tait     Jan 21, 2020

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Kansas guard Christian Braun (2) celebrates after hitting a three against Kansas State during the first half, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020 at Allen Fieldhouse.

**1 – Christian Braun -** His career-best six triples and 20 points were a huge part of pushing the Jayhawks out to an early lead that K-State had no answer for. Played aggressive and with a purpose on offense all night.

**2 – Udoka Azubuike -** K-State made it clear early on that they weren’t going to let Azubuike beat them with easy baskets. So he found another way to do it and killed the Cats on the glass, finishing with 14 on the night, 5 offensive.

**3 – Marcus Garrett -** So steady and another turnover-free game from the KU junior to go along with 8 points and 5 assists in 33 minutes.

**4 – Devon Dotson -** Far more important than any of his shots, points or free throws were Dotson’s steals. K-State could not handle his ball pressure and that made for a long night for the visitors.

**5 – Ochai Agbaji -** He didn’t exactly break out of his scoring slump — 6 points on 3-of-11 shooting in 31 minutes — but he played with much better energy and body language en route to making a strong impact on this game.

**6 – Isaiah Moss -** A step closer to what he showed at Oklahoma compared to his effort last Saturday at Texas. He still misses assignments from time to time on defense and needs to get a little more comfortable.

**7 – Tristan Enaruna -** Played real minutes for the first time in a while and looked aggressive and a little more confident while doing it. The more they can mix him into the rotation, the more flexibility this team will enjoy.

**8 – Silvio De Sousa -** Didn’t play much at all until then end, but also didn’t make too many mistakes when he was out there.

**9 – David McCormack -** Started again but was not out there with the first five to open the second half. The biggest issue with McCormack in the past couple of games has been his decision making and shot selection. He struggled with that again in this one.

Season Standings
———–

1 – Udoka Azubuike – 133

T2 – Devon Dotson – 118

T2 – Marcus Garrett – 118

4 – Ochai Agbaji – 107

5 – David McCormack – 83

6 – Isaiah Moss – 82

7 – Christian Braun – 70

8 – Tristan Enaruna – 52

9 – Silvio De Sousa – 47

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.