College basketball is back in Lawrence, Kansas, and while that, generally speaking, is enough to excite just about everybody in this town, [Tuesday’s 92-74 exhibition victory over Washburn][1] at Allen Fieldhouse left just as many people scratching their heads as it did jumping for joy.
Although the score does not indicate a struggle, the third-ranked Jayhawks were sloppy, sluggish and outworked during much of Tuesday’s game by a smaller, less talented Washburn team that simply competed.
KU coach Bill Self was far from pleased after the win and it’s clear that there are a few areas that Self and his staff will emphasize — and emphasize and emphasize — this week during practice in order to help Kansas prepare for a regular season stretch that opens in 9 days against No. 11 Indiana and No. 1 Duke four days apart.
Quick takeaway
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One of the things that stood out most to me after this game was freshman guard Josh Jackson’s comment about how he was not overly worried about the way his team played because it was the first time for them playing all together as a team.
In practices, for months now, these guys have gone against one another, been divided up into blue and red teams for scrimmages and been battling in mostly pick-up style environments. Never had they been a team of 10 players all working toward the same goal, with substitutions and rotations and all of those things that come with a normal game. It might sound like an excuse, but I’ll buy it.
After all, that’s exactly what these exhibition games are for — to allow teams to work out the kinks and figure out what they do well and what they need to work on. There’s no doubt that what we saw on Tuesday night won’t fly against Indiana and Duke — or even most teams in the Big 12 — but the guess here is that KU, with a few more practices and another exhibition game, will get things together in time to put much better showings on the floor in those two regular season openers.
Three reasons to smile
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**1 – Frank Mason’s ready for a big year.** That fact probably does not surprise a soul, but boy was it evident in this one. Mason was by far KU’s best player, start to finish, and he looked even better than he had during his strong sophomore and junior seasons.
One thing that really struck me about [Mason’s 21-point, 10-rebound, 9-assist night][2] was how he continued to attack the rim and play with great aggression but did not hit the deck nearly as often as he has seemed to in the past. That’s good news for Kansas because the Jayhawks are going to need their floor leader to be fresh and at his best right out of the gate if they hope to compete with the likes of Indiana and Duke in the next couple of weeks.
**2 – Josh Jackson figured it out.** He had a slow start and looked nothing like the ultra-competitive, alpha dog that Self and others have described him to be during the first 26 minutes of this game. But Jackson finally broke through midway through the second half and showed that he understands exactly the way this team needs him to play all season. He was aggressive, he attacked the rim whenever possible and rarely settled for jumpers even when that would have been the easy thing to do.
J[ackson said nerves and his focus being on not messing up instead of playing well cost him in the first half.][3] Sounds like a legit excuse to me. We’ll know if it was by the way Jackson plays the next time out. If he attacks from the beginning and plays the entire game the way he finished this one, all will be well and Jackson will be on track to deliver what so many expect of him this season.
**3 – Bill Self is not afraid of the four-guard lineup.** Self hinted the other day that even though it seems clear that KU has a set starting lineup, he’s not certain that the five he threw out there to start this one would be his best lineup because he believes his best lineup could be small. It certainly was on Tuesday, when Lagerald Vick was in there playing well with Mason, Devonte’ Graham and Jackson.
KU’s experiment with the four-guard look was significant on Tuesday and it featured a variety of different lineups. What impressed me the most about it, though, was even when it wasn’t sharp — when ball movement suffered or Washburn made KU pay on the glass or inside — Self did not panic. He stuck with the lineup for extended minutes and did not allow the knee-jerk reaction to a couple of bad possessions to lead to him putting a second big man back out there.
Foul trouble probably played some part in that, but I’m guessing that the other major factor was Self understanding that those smaller lineups are probably going to be critical for Kansas this season and he knew he needed to let those guys get comfortable out there playing together.
Three reasons to sigh
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**1 – Kansas was out-rebounded by Washburn in this one,** but it was not just the final numbers (45-44) that were a concern as much as it was the way Washburn got there. The much smaller Ichabods team was more aggressive, played hungrier and looked to want it more and that led to several second-chance opportunities on the offensive glass and a few defensive rebounds they should not have had, as well.
This aspect surprised me. I thought this Kansas team, with all of its veteran experience and promising newcomers would be full of life and energy when it finally hit the floor for a real game, but Washburn stole the show in that area.
**2 – Remember when Carlton Bragg knocked in a few outside shots** during the Late Night scrimmage and we all went nuts about how it’s clear he’s ready for that Perry Ellis role? Tuesday’s effort showed otherwise. Bragg was far too passive in this one and did not look willing — or even able — to go inside and battle on the glass. He is, of course, but he’s going to have to show it in order for his head coach to believe that.
At this point, Bragg’s sole focus for the next exhibition game should be to go out and grab 10 rebounds or more no matter how he has to get them or what it takes to make that happen. Heck, at this point, Self would probably even be thrilled if Bragg ripped a couple of rebounds away from teammates. That’s the mentality he needs to bring to every game and if he doesn’t, he’s not going to play enough minutes to fill Ellis’ former role.
**3 – A turnover party broke out at Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday night** and just about every Jayhawk who suited up was invited. The Jayhawks turned it over 24 times in this one, with five different Jayhawks recording three or more, including Josh Jackson’s team-high five. It wasn’t just a freshman problem, though. Frank Mason had three. Landen Lucas had three. Svi had four. And nearly all of them were of the careless, pass-dribble-or-jump-before-you-think variety.
Turnovers that come from great effort are one thing and Self has proven he can live with those. A few of them anyway. But turnovers that come from just throwing the ball away or playing out of control or trying to force something when executing the simple play is the right move will drive the KU coach bonkers.
Whether it was a two-handed temple rub, throwing his play sheet down or rolling his eyes, throwing his hands behind his head and sitting back in his chair and sighing, Self had a stressful night Tuesday and KU’s sloppy play with the ball was a big reason for that.
Next up
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Kansas will close out its exhibition season at 7 p.m. Sunday at Allen Fieldhouse against Emporia State.
— See what people were saying about KU’s matchup against Washburn during KUsports.com’s live coverage.
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2016/nov/01/ugly-exhibition-jayhawks-out-scrapped-92-74-win-ov/
[2]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2016/nov/01/tom-keegan-frank-mason-stands-tall-near-triple-dou/
[3]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2016/nov/01/notebook-jackson-blames-nerves-slow-first-half-exh/
