**1 – Ochai Agbaji -** K-State’s Nijel Pack went off for 35 points and was by far the most impressive offensive player [in Saturday’s game.][1] All Agbaji did was finish just six points behind him, with 29, while working probably twice as hard to get what he got. That’s not a knock on Pack. His shots were pure, he worked to get open and he hit some tough jumpers and floaters. But Agbaji finished with 29 on a day when he was crawling uphill most of the afternoon. Never was that more evident than when he missed the three free throws after getting fouled on a 3-pointer early in the second half. He more than made up for it by finishing 7-for-11 at the line and hitting the game winner on a tough drive to the rim. Rather than leveling off and settling into some kind of production pattern, Agbaji continues to assert himself and push for more. That’s the best way to find more and the KU senior just keeps doing it.
**2 – Jalen Wilson -** Remember all of those double-doubles Wilson racked up last season? Well, they’re back. And this one sure seemed like his toughest yet. Sixteen points on 5-of-9 shooting and 10 rebounds, with 4 of them coming on the offensive glass. What’s more, KU coach Bill Self marveled after the game about how many rebounds Wilson just went and got that were out of his zone. He also finished with zero turnovers and a 5-of-6 showing at the free throw line. No question that he was every bit as good as Agbaji in the big picture on Saturday. The big difference between the two was Agbaji’s clutch play at the end.
**3 – David McCormack -** If ever there were a time to award three No. 1 spots, this would be it. McCormack’s effort, intensity and production were off-the-charts good in this one. And he made that evident from Minute 1. McCormack had five offensive rebounds before the game had barely broken a sweat. And he didn’t stop there, grabbing eight for the game and 15 total. He added 11 points to that total and played a physical brand of basketball. KU still needs him to find a way to become a bigger paint presence on a more consistent basis. But even if that never comes, if McCormack goes after the ball and plays with the kind of heart he did on Saturday, the Jayhawks will absolutely take it. His four turnovers and at least one ill-advised shot were a problem, but seemed to be merely minor blips in an otherwise strong performance, literally and figuratively.
**4 – Dajuan Harris Jr. -** Scored 7 points, dished 2 assists and even grabbed 5 rebounds. Good. OK. Nice. But none of it mattered as much as his defensive effort on Pack in this second half. Sure, Pack still scored 13 second-half points. But none of them came easy. And I’m not sure many of them came with Harris on him. I can remember at least one play where Pack finished an and-one by driving right at Remy Martin. And on another, when he drilled one of his two second-half 3-pointers, he scored off of a baseline out-of-bounds play and not out of a half-court set. Harris did the one thing that the Jayhawks needed someone to do in stepping up and guarding Pack and he was by far the best equipped Jayhawk to do it. His size, quickness, good hands and feet and defensive desire all made him a tough matchup for Pack, who got open far too often early in the game. Harris also hit 2 of 2 free throws, played 31 minutes and did not turn the ball over one time.
**5 – Christian Braun -** Didn’t shoot the ball great, but competed his butt off and dished 5 assists. Some of those were neutralized by the 3 turnovers, but he also had a block and a steal, too. More than anything, you could see in Braun how much this game meant to the entire Kansas roster. Even when the numbers weren’t there, he played incredibly hard and seemed to have extreme focus fixed on his face throughout the game until the end, when he let loose and started having fun with the KSU student section on his way off the floor.
**6 – Remy Martin -** If you’re the type that wants to focus only on the good with Remy Martin right now, look closely at those 3 assists and 0 turnovers. Because there’s not a whole lot to like elsewhere. He’s struggling to shoot the ball, still seems to dribble it too much at times and, although his effort is there, he still has room to improve as a defender. KU needs to keep giving him chances to do those things and it appears as if they will. Despite the rough edges, Martin played 20 minutes in this one, as he continues to knock off the rust that missing time with that knee injury created. The guess here is that one day, out of nowhere, it’ll all kind of click again for Martin and he’ll both look and play better. How soon that will be is anyone’s guess.
**7 – Mitch Lightfoot -** Lightfoot’s +8 plus/minus number tied for second best on the team on Saturday, so it’s clear he gave some good minutes in terms of the overall team production. He just didn’t play that many of them. Finished with 2 points on 1-for-1 shooting in 8 minutes while grabbing 3 rebounds and fouling 3 times. His value to this team seems to come on the offensive end right now. While he still can affect shots near the rim, it seems like he’s been good for a big bucket or two on the offensive end more than he has grabbed key rebounds or blocks on defense lately. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, especially on a day like Saturday when two points by anybody looks awfully big in a game you won by three.
**8 – KJ Adams -** Got in early and played six minutes but had nothing more to show for it than 1 foul. Still, the fact that he checked in to give McCormack a rest when Lightfoot hadn’t quite found his footing shows you where the trust level is with KU’s coaches and Adams. He might not be on the brink of playing 20 minutes a game or anything crazy, but it’s clear that they think he can go in and hold his own for a few minutes here and a few minutes there. We’ve known this, but seeing him get the opportunity on the road in conference games is more telling than anything that happened before it.
**9 – Jalen Coleman-Lands -** Missed his only shot in 4 minutes — a 3-pointer long in the first half — and grabbed one defensive rebound. This was not the atmosphere JCL experienced a season ago when he came to Manhattan with Iowa State.
Season standings
———–
1 – Ochai Agbaji, 174
2 – Christian Braun, 159
3 – Dajuan Harris Jr., 137
4 – Remy Martin, 107z
5 – Jalen Wilson, 103 •
6 – Mitch Lightfoot, 100
7 – David McCormack, 99
8 – Jalen Coleman-Lands, 57
9 – Joseph Yesufu, 51
10 – KJ Adams, 47
11 – Zach Clemence, 41y
12 – Bobby Pettiford, 35x
• Missed first 3 games to serve a suspension
x – Out since Dec. 6 with abdominal injury (returned Jan. 11)
z – Missed 3 games with a knee injury
y – Out with a toe injury starting Jan. 11 (returned Jan. 22)
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2022/jan/22/7th-ranked-kansas-fights-hard-earned-78-75-win-ove/
