McCormack dominates down low to lead Kansas to a huge 71-58 win over No. 2 Baylor

By Matt Tait     Feb 27, 2021

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Kansas guard Marcus Garrett (0), Kansas forward David McCormack (33) and Kansas forward Jalen Wilson (10) surround Baylor guard Jared Butler (12) during the first half on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 at Allen Fieldhouse.

**1 – David McCormack -** Arguably the best game of Big Dave’s career — And it was clear it was going to be that way from the jump of [Saturday’s 71-58 win over No. 2 Baylor.][1] McCormack scored KU’s first eight points and finished with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting in 25 minutes. He also added 3 rebounds and a few emphatic blocks, not to mention the emotion he brought to the floor.

**2 – Marcus Garrett -** His senior night featured a classic line — 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting, with 7 rebounds and 2 assists. More important than any of that was the job he did on Baylor All-American Jared Butler, who finished with five points on 2-of-9 shooting in 30 minutes.

**3 – Jalen Wilson -** If he had hit his free throws, it would’ve been another double-double for Wilson — easily. Instead, he finished with just 7 points (1-for-4 at the FT line) but also added 14 rebounds and a steal in 31 minutes.

**4 – Mitch Lightfoot -** Lightfoot played just 13 minutes, but in terms of big-plays-per-minute, he may have led all of college basketball on Saturday night. A block, two huge buckets and four tough rebounds played a huge role in KU’s victory.

**5 – Christian Braun -** It took him a while to get going and he scored seven of his 11 points at the free throw line, but all seven of those free throws were huge, especially when you consider that his teammates combined to make just 11 of 17 without him. Braun also added 9 boards and 3 assists in 37 minutes.

**6 – Ochai Agbaji -** It wasn’t Agbaji’s night shooting the ball, so he found other ways to help Kansas win. He hit the glass, had a huge tip-in and also dished 4 assists while playing 37+ minutes.

**7 – Dajuan Harris -** His second-half 3-pointer was one of the biggest shots of the night because it helped Kansas maintain its cushion and was one of just 3 made 3-pointers all night for the Jayhawks. Harris finished with 5 points and 2 boards in 9 minutes.

**8 – Bryce Thompson -** Thompson did a good job of not forcing the issue. He shot just twice, hit one of them (a big first-half 3-pointer) and dished 1 assist to go with 3 turnovers.

**9 – Tristan Enaruna -** Played spot minutes late in the first half and finished 0-for-1 from the floor with one rebound.

**Season Standings**

1 – Ochai Agbaji – 205

2 – Jalen Wilson – 200

3 – David McCormack – 180

4 – Marcus Garrett – 175

5 – Christian Braun – 174

6 – Mitch Lightfoot – 124

7 – Dajuan Harris – 109

8 – Bryce Thompson – 83 ~

9 – Tristan Enaruna – 75

10 – Tyon Grant-Foster – 73

11 – Latrell Jossell – 14

12 – Gethro Muscadin – 10

~ missed more than a month of the season with back and finger injuries and returned to the lineup on Feb. 11.

[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2021/feb/27/no-17-kansas-knocks-no-2-baylor-71-58-end-big-12-p/

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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.