There was nothing about Saturday’s match-up with TCU that made the excite-o-meter go off.
It wasn’t a big game against one of the top challengers in the Big 12, it wasn’t hyped up national showdown against a Top 25 team and it wasn’t even a game that included a revenge angle or any kind of venom that would have the Fieldhouse faithful in a frenzy. Instead, it was just another late-February, Saturday afternoon home game that everyone expected KU to roll in.
The Jayhawks didn’t exactly roll — winning 81-72 — but they did play well enough to prevent the Frogs from ever throwing a serious challenge at the Jayhawks and their one-game lead in the Big 12 race.
If there was one moment that stood out to me more than any other, it was the ovation Perry Ellis got during pregame introductions. Ellis took a ton of heat for missing a makable game-winner last Monday at West Virginia. He was trashed on message boards and Twitter, blasted by KU fans everywhere who like to believe that it’s easy to just dunk everything and left Morgantown feeling down on himself for the miss.
Clearly, the 16,300 fans at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday didn’t care. Ellis got the loudest ovation I’ve heard a KU player get during intros this season. And he responded by making 9-of-10 shots and scoring a game-high 23 points.
It’s a small detail and one that probably didn’t have a whole lot to do with the outcome of the game, but it was definitely cool to see a fan base rally behind their guy.
Quick takeaway
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TCU showed up to compete and easily could have given the Jayhawks a little more of a scare than they did based on the way they played. TCU senior Trey Zeigler said he thought the Horned Frogs played better in Lawrence than they did in Fort Worth, even though the final score was closer in the first meeting between these two. Thankfully for the Jayhawks, who saw starters Kelly Oubre, Wayne Selden and Cliff Alexander combine for just eight points on two made field goals, the Jayhawks’ defense was up to the challenge. KU limited TCU to 41 percent shooting from the floor and held smooth guard Kyan Anderson, who has had a history of playing very well against KU to 14 points on just 4-of-14 shooting. TCU coach Trent Johnson talked about KU’s defense making opposing offenses feel like they have to be perfect on just about every possession, and that burden ultimately led to a few turnovers and missed opportunities that wound up being the difference.
Three reasons to smile
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**1 – Every once in a while the two best dudes on a team step up and have the two best games on a given day. Saturday was one of those days for Kansas,** as freshman point guard Devonte’ Graham and junior forward Perry Ellis both eclipsed the 20-point mark and missed just one shot between them while tallying more than half of KU’s 81 points. Graham was ultra-aggressive and played with toughness and confidence. Ellis played like a man who knew he couldn’t be stopped — again. If either guy comes close to matching that performance the rest of the way, this team will be a tough out for just about anybody.
**2 – How about Brannen Greene’s work on the boards?** The guy known mostly as a deadly three-point marksman nearly led the Jayhawks in rebounds, with six (one behind Ellis’ seven), and he did his work in a number of ways, which included mixing it up with bigger bodies, crashing the offensive glass and cleaning up the easy board and kick-starting a fast-break. Greene is long enough and athletic enough to be a factor on the glass. It all just comes down to mindset for him. And, clearly on Saturday, he was ready to rebound.
**3 – This last one is easy.** That whole team manager Chris Huey suits up for the first and only time in his career and plays 35 seconds was way too cool. The fact that the kid got this chance is a real credit to both him and what he’s all about and KU coach Bill Self, who did not have to even think about doing something like that. Neat moment, one you can’t help but feel good about no matter who you cheer for.
Three reasons to sigh
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**1 – KU’s first-half offense was pretty sloppy.** Even Perry Ellis, who looked locked in from the jump on Saturday, only took four shots. The Jayhawks did shoot 54 percent from the floor in the first half, but that was more a product of how they scored — nearly half of their points came in the paint — and not how they ran offense. It improved in the second half, as the ball movement got better and KU continually worked through Ellis in the post.
**2 – Twice during Saturday’s victory the Jayhawks turned it over on inbounds plays following timeouts.** One led to an easy dunk for the Horned Frogs and the other prevented KU from padding its lead. They may have been able to survive such mental lapses this time around — largely because they were at home and TCU is not quite ready to compete on the same stage as Kansas — but those are the kinds of things that will kill a team when the games start to really count.
**3 – It was another rough day for Cliff Alexander,** who made his fourth consecutive start but didn’t do much more. Alexander made just one of four shots and finished with 2 rebounds and 3 fouls while playing just 11 minutes overall and only 3 minutes in the second half. I’ve been asked a ton during the past few weeks if it seems like it’s time to concede that Alexander just might not become the player people thought he could or would become this season. Each time, I said no. It was too early to claim that, I thought. I’m not so sure any more, though. And this has nothing to do with motor, effort or desire, which were Alexander’s issues midway through the season. He just too often looks a little lost out there and a step or two slow because of it. Maybe that’s because he’s had more trouble adjusting to the college game or Bill Self’s coaching than people expected. Maybe it’s just who he is. Either way, I don’t think Alexander’s a guy KU should expect a ton from the rest of the way. Does that mean he can’t have some big games? Of course not. He absolutely can. But those games, if they come, will likely be the result of one thing and one thing alone — Alexander’s ability to rebound and get points that way. All of that said, he’s still this team’s best option at altering shots in the lane, so the Jayhawks need to find a way to keep him involved enough for him to fulfill that role. Tough spot for everyone involved right now.
One for the road
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KU’s blue-collar victory over an improved TCU team:
• Made the Jayhawks 22-5 overall, marking the 26th-straight season that they have won 22 games.
• Improved Kansas to 11-3 in league play, giving KU 11 or more conference victories for the 21st-consecutive season.
• Extended KU’s home-court winning streak to 22 games, making KU 726-109 all-time inside Allen Fieldhouse, including 188-9 under Bill Self.
• Pushed KU’s edge in the all-time series vs. TCU to 9-1, including a 4-0 mark in games played in Allen Fieldhouse.
• Improved Self to 347-74 while at Kansas, 13-4 against TCU (7-1 at Kansas) and 554-179 overall.
• Made KU 2,148-827 all-time.
Next up
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The Jayhawks head west for a Big Monday match-up with Kansas State at 8 p.m. at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan. KU knocked off K-State 68-57 Jan. 31 in Lawrence, in a game that KU led 20-5 and never looked back.
