**1 – Jalen Wilson -** Wilson was spectacular in this one, nearly willing the Jayhawks to victory with equal parts grit and toughness and play-maker mentality. He was just 3-of-10 from 3-point range, but he hit some clutch jumpers. And his 12-for-25 shooting night overall was pretty efficient, especially when you throw in his 11-of-12 clip at the free throw line. You can’t help but wonder what would’ve happened had Wilson been able to get the ball at game point at either the end of regulation or overtime, with KU holding the last shot and a chance to win both times. But they never got it to him. Toss some credit to the K-State defense for that and some blame to the fact that three of KU’s starters were on the bench after fouling out. Had KU had their first five on the floor late in either of those situations, it might have been a different story both for the Kansas offense and the Wildcats’ defense. As it was, they were able to throw most of their attention Wilson’s way, creating a situation where someone else in a Kansas uniform was going to have to beat them. He nearly did it all night but no one could answer the call at the end. Wilson played all 45 minutes in this one and was one rebound shy of yet another double-double.
**2 – KJ Adams -** Adams was nearly unstoppable on that short roll to the rim down the lane in Tuesday’s first half and he put up big numbers in the first half. He finished with 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting but was just 5-for-10 at the free throw line, and all five misses hurt Kansas. His foul trouble may have kept him from being aggressive at times, but Adams’ 11th consecutive game in double figures was really, really good at times. We’re closing in on the point where we need to start acting so surprised when he plays so well. He’s clearly capable. And, more than that, this team needs him to continue to deliver.
**3 – Dajuan Harris Jr. -** His 11 assists look great, his 4 turnovers not so much and his 3 total points on 1-of-7 shooting is ugly. Harris deserves a ton of credit for his defense and being able to gut it out for nearly the entire game. In fact, had it not been for hitting his head and having to come out following the hard fall, he, like Wilson, likely would’ve played all 45 minutes in this one. The bigger concern with Harris on Tuesday night wasn’t the numbers as much as the way he got them. Twice, with KU owning possession at the end of regulation and overtime, Harris had the ball in his hands and KU didn’t get a shot. That’s certainly not what we’ve come to expect from him and it’s possible that because the standard has been set so high with him, these types of miscues are magnified. Nonetheless, seeing that happen twice in the same game at a time when Harris is usually so steady was a bit of a surprise.
**4 – Gradey Dick -** I’ll be honest, I kept feeling like Gradey Dick was finally going to get one to go late in this one, largely because of all of that talk about how he doesn’t think about anything but the next shot and believes they’re all going in. One problem: They didn’t. Dick was 1-of-8 from 3-point range against the Wildcats and 4-of-13 overall. He did hit seven of eight free throws and finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. But he also fouled out and couldn’t buy a bucket on a night when Kansas needed just one more to fall. His lone 3-point make was a big one — to pull KU within four after trailing by seven early in the second half — but it came with 16:42 to play and he didn’t hit again. In addition to finding other stats, he ran the floor hard and competed hard. His legs looked like they let him down in this one, though, and that could be a sign that the grind that is the Big 12 schedule is starting to have an effect on the freshman from Wichita. It also could’ve just been one of those off nights and he could bounce back strong on Saturday. It’s certainly not by any means time to panic.
**5 – Joe Yesufu -** Give Yesufu credit for being ready to answer the bell in this one. Long before the three starters fouled out, Yesufu was inserted into the game and asked to be a factor. He was. He finished the night with a +11 rating, the best on the team, and delivered some decent numbers, though modest, while also playing tough defensively. Few plays showed his fight in this one better than the play late in regulation when he dove on the floor to fight for a loose ball that wound up giving the Jayhawks a chance to win at the end of the second half. Yesufu wasn’t the only Jayhawk who dove on the play, but his willingness to do so showed a clear understanding of what it takes to win in this conference. And had Kansas hit one more shot, the Jayhawks would’ve come away with another win on this night.
**6 – Kevin McCullar Jr. -** It was a brutal night for McCullar, who missed his only two shots of the night — badly — and looked like he just didn’t have anything to give. He did grab seven rebounds and he had moments of defensive activity that led to good things for the Jayhawks. But those were spaced out and McCullar eventually fouled out. You can’t blame Manhattan because McCullar had played there before. Of course, he had not played there as a member of the Jayhawks, and that does tend to make Bramlage Coliseum a different animal.
**7 – Bobby Pettiford -** Pettiford’s two early fouls put him on a bad path for the night and he never really recovered. The problem with that was, the Jayhawks needed him late after three starters fouled out and he was not in any kind of rhythm. The biggest shame of it all was that his second foul was more Gradey Dick’s fault than Pettiford’s. While guarding the inbounds pass underneath, Dick failed to take away the pass to the paint — much in the way Ernest Udeh Jr. did the same thing late in KU’s home win over Oklahoma State — leaving Pettiford in a vulnerable position and having to foul.
**8 – Zach Clemence -** Clemence found himself in a pretty big moment seemingly out of nowhere and delivered a mixed bag of results. He hit a tough bucket in the overtime that could’ve wound up being pretty huge, but he also looked a little lost on defense and turned it over at times when he probably shouldn’t have even had the ball. Never was that more clear than on an entry pass to the post from Dajuan Harris late in regulation that was immediately ripped and taken the other way by the Wildcats. It wasn’t all Clemence’s fault and he did look like he belonged when tossed into a really tough situation. He just didn’t really do anything to stand out either.
**9 – Zuby Ejiofor -** One of the more interesting moments of the night — and in Zuby’s career to date — came when he was chosen by K-State to shoot the free throws after Harris had to leave the game after hitting his head on a hard drive to the rim. The rule allows the opponent to pick any player on the floor to shoot the foul shots in the event of an injury like that, so Ejiofor stepped to the line in a big moment and hit one of two free throws. There were enough moments where Zuby clogged things up and mismanaged the action, too, though, so putting him at the bottom wasn’t too difficult to do.
Season standings
———–
1 – Jalen Wilson, 146
2 – Dajuan Harris Jr., 128
3 – KJ Adams, 125
4 – Gradey Dick, 120
5 – Kevin McCullar Jr., 104o
6 – Bobby Pettiford, 78
7 – Joe Yesufu, 66
8 – MJ Rice, 45y
9 – Zuby Ejiofor, 46
10 – Ernest Udeh Jr., 39
11 – Zach Clemence, 25z
12 – Cam Martin, 11q
13 – Kyle Cuffe Jr., 2x
*x – Out for 10-12 weeks with a knee injury starting Nov. 13*
*y – Missed 3 of the first 5 games of the season because of injury and illness*
*z – Missed Duke, Southern Utah and NC State games because of injury*
*o – Missed Nov. 29 game vs. Texas Southern with a groin injury
*q – Missed first nine games of the season with shoulder injury
