Note: Here is a listing of definitions for some terms used in this blog. Also, feel free to ask questions in the comments section below if something doesn’t make sense.
It’s not often that two-point shooting sticks out as much as it did in Kansas’ 72-56 victory over UCLA on Tuesday.
The Jayhawks made 17 of 31 twos, good for 54.8 percent and well above the NCAA average of 47.4 percent.
More surprising, though, was UCLA’s inability to hit anything inside. The Bruins finished 8-for-30 from two-point range (26.6 percent), which was more than 20 percent below their season average entering the game.
This blog often gets into complicated math, but this is pretty simple.
KU scored 34 points on twos; UCLA scored 16. That’s an 18-point difference in a 16-point win.
“We’ve got to get more of a presence inside,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said afterwards. “We’ve got to get someone to score in there for us and do a better job there.”
The numbers get worse when singling out UCLA’s big men.
Reeves Nelson, Joshua Smith, Travis Wear and David Wear combined to make just 3 of 17 two-pointers (17.6 percent).
The Bruins seemed to be especially bothered by KU’s Jeff Withey.
When looking at the plus-minus numbers (take these with a grain of salt, as many folks don’t trust the small sample size and other outside noise involved with the stat), UCLA scored just 23 points during Withey’s 21 minutes on the floor. That’s a 44-point-per-game pace.
It’s also worth noting during Justin Wesley’s 15 minutes, UCLA scored just 17 points. That’s a 45-point-per-game pace.
Withey and Wesley didn’t get much credit in the box score for bothering UCLA defensively.
My guess is that they did plenty of that, which helped provide KU with the margin it needed to take the comfortable victory.
**M.O.J. (Most Outstanding Jayhawk)**
Elijah Johnson broke out of a shooting slump and had the best offensive game of his career.
The junior posted 1.35 points per possession used while taking on more of the scoring load. He ended 21.7 percent of KU’s possessions while he was in, which was third on the team behind Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson.
Johnson led all KU players with an effective field goal percentage of 76.9, which included 4-of-8 accuracy from three-point range. Coming into the game, he’d made just 4 of 17 three-pointers.
In his 38 minutes, Johnson also made contributions elsewhere. He pulled down 10.5 percent of the available defensive rebounds (very high for a guard) while also coming away with steals on 3.3 percent of his defensive possessions.
Johnson’s season numbers are starting to look pretty impressive. He’s the team-leader in assists (18) and steals (nine) while turning it over just six times.
He’s also become KU’s third-leading scorer, averaging 12 points per game.
**Room for Improvement**
Two areas stand out: Turnovers and three-point defense.
KU came into the game as a good ball-handling team, but that didn’t show against UCLA.
The Jayhawks turned it over on 28.6 percent of their possessions — the third-highest mark in KU’s last two seasons.
KU’s guards and bigs could share the blame for the turnover numbers, as Robinson, Taylor, Withey and Johnson all posted their season-highs for turnovers.
Meanwhile, KU also struggled defensively on the perimeter.
Though UCLA came into the game as one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the nation — making just 15 of 60 long-range shots (25 percent) — it made 8 of 14 three-pointers (57 percent) and 5 of 7 three-pointers in the second half (71 percent).
Taylor seemed to get caught up in a lot of traffic and was late getting out to shooters, while Travis Releford seemed to lose focus a few times as well.
This has to be KU’s biggest concern heading into the Duke game, as the Blue Devils have been deadly from three so far this season (46.3 percent).
**Tough-Luck Line**
Because we’re holding him to a higher standard than a lot of other players, Thomas Robinson takes the “tough-luck line” for this one.
Robinson posted just 1.02 points per possession used, which was second-lowest on the team and lowest among those who played more than six minutes. He also dragged down KU’s offense by consuming a lot of possessions, ending 26.9 percent of the possessions he was in.
Robinson, as always, was great on the defensive glass, pulling down 32.3 percent of the available defensive rebounds.
He also was second on the team in shooting (63.6 eFG%) and assist percentage, handing out 23.4 percent of the potential assists while he was out there.
So why the “tough-luck line”? Simply because Robinson struggled with turnovers.
The junior turned it over on 35.7 percent of the possessions he used, as he had problems handling the double-teams that UCLA was throwing at him. His five turnovers tied a season-high for KU this season, matching Releford’s five against Kentucky.
KU needs better play from Robinson offensively, especially if he is going to continue to be the Jayhawks’ top possession-user. He should improve against double-teams as he gets more used to seeing them.
**Bottom Line**
KU’s interior defense was the reason for the runaway victory.
Even though UCLA had easily its best game shooting from three-point range, it still mustered just 0.89 points per possession because of an inability to hit inside shots.
Meanwhile, KU posted a solid 1.14 PPP thanks to good shooting (eFG% of 58.5) and good work on the offensive glass.
The Jayhawks pulled down 40 percent of their missed shots (their highest number this year), which led to 18 second-chance points. Seven different players had an offensive rebound, and no KU player had more than two.
The UCLA victory sets up a matchup with Duke, where KU will have to play much better perimeter defense if it wants a chance to come away with a Maui Invitational title.
