The Day After: Humming past the Hornets

By Matt Tait     Nov 7, 2016

Kansas guard Lagerald Vick (2) drives against Emporia State guard Jay Temaat (10) during the second half, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016 at Allen Fieldhouse.

If I had a dollar for each time I heard a member of KU’s coaching staff or roster tell me after [Sunday’s 104-62 victory over Emporia State][1] that working out the kinks was the reason they play these exhibition games, I’d be able to treat the first five commenters on this blog to a delicious McPick 2.

Quarter pounders and chicken nuggets aside, the sentiment behind that statement is great news for the Jayhawks, who clearly are willing to put in the work to improve and also fix whatever needs to be addressed.

With the NCAA’s 12 days of mandatory time off a thing of the past — Tuesday’s travel day will mark KU’s final required off day — the Jayhawks can spend the next few days focusing hard on their first opponent, No. 11 Indiana in the Armed Forces Classic.

The Hoosiers are a talented team that returns a few big time players. But KU has the edge in experience and depth and should benefit from its veteran mentality and focus. There’s no doubt that KU’s next game will have an NCAA Tournament feel to it and that’s why it’s good the Jayhawks truly used the exhibition outings to identify issues and then work on them rather than sleep-walking through them.

Quick takeaway
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Kansas guard Frank Mason III (0) pulls up for a layup against Emporia State during the first half, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Like most of you, I saw a KU team that took coaching well and responded to the challenges the Kansas coaching staff threw at them in the days following the Washburn victory. KU was more aggressive, made rebounding a key part of the game and played with great effort and energy at both ends. That’s the sign of a veteran team and that’s reason enough to believe that these guys will be ready for real competition against some of the best teams in college basketball in a matter of days. When KU is clicking and playing with great effort and intensity, the pieces become a little bit interchangeable and the outcome usually goes the Jayhawks’ way.

Three reasons to smile
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**1 – KU’s transition offense was so good in this one** that it had to make you think that playing with four guards most of the time might be the right move. Match-ups, of course, will determine a big chunk of that, but these guys are fast and furious when they get out and go and, with multiple players able to attack the rim in transition, it has to be a nightmare for opponents to both gameplan for and stop when the clock is running.

**2 – It’ll be interesting to see how freshman forward Mitch Lightfoot fares against tougher competition,** but you had to love the way the guy debuted in a Kansas uniform. He plays hard, he plays smart and he’s tougher than you might have expected. Lightfoot scored in spurts in this one and finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal in 15 minutes. If he continues to bring the same energy to the floor that he did in the exhibition games, his minutes per game number may hover around double digits. But don’t expect it to be there Friday against Indiana or next Tuesday against Duke unless foul trouble becomes a factor.

**3 – KU hit 5-of-9 three-pointers in the first half of this one and finished 7-of-18 for the game,** for 38.9 percent. Add to that the lights-out, outside shooting that the Jayhawks delivered against Washburn (10-of-22, 45.5 percent) and it’s clear that this team is comfortable bombing away from behind the three-point line. The best part about those shots (other than the fact that many of them went in) is that KU finished exhibition play 12-for-22 (.545) from three-point land in the first half and enters the season with a ton of confidence pulling the trigger from behind the line.

Kansas forward Mitch Lightfoot (44) gets a bucket past Emporia State forward Garin Vandiver (34) and guard Jevon Taylor (21) during the first half, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Three reasons to sigh
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**1 – Players go through funks and come out of them all the time.** It happens. But I’d be lying if I said KU fans should not be concerned about the funk that KU sophomore Carlton Bragg is in. Not only was he bad in the two exhibition games, he also looked like he could not get out of his own head and therefore started pressing and thinking about what he was not doing right. The expectations (and need) for Bragg to have a huge season are so great that Bragg not playing up to his potential would be bad news for Kansas. But it’s clear he’s not quite ready for a major role. That could change quickly and likely will come down to Bragg finding a way — any way — to regain his confidence. That’ll be tougher to do against Indiana and Duke, but if it happens, it could go down as a confidence boost on steroids.

**2 – Landen Lucas’ foul trouble also is a concern.** He was so good last season about playing defense — really, really good defense close to the basket — without fouling. But whether it’s the new rules emphasis or the undersized opponents, Lucas could not keep from fouling during exhibition play. He’s so smart and so skilled that there’s no doubt he’ll adjust. But therein lies the concern — will his adjustment make him a different player?

**3 – It’s a minor deal and likely no reason to sweat, but the Jayhawks struggled at the free throw line for the second game in a row.** Getting there 32 times is great news, but making only 65.6 percent of the free throw attempts is not. Teams don’t shoot free throws quite as well as they used to. Last season’s squad shot just 71.3 percent for the year. But if Kansas wants to get off to a 2-0 start against a pair of Top 12 teams, it’s going to need every free point it can get.

Next up
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Kansas forward Carlton Bragg Jr. (15) gets physical with Emporia State forward Terrence Sardin (33) during the first half, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016 at Allen Fieldhouse.

The 2016-17 regular season gets under way for real at 8 p.m. Friday, when the Jayhawks travel to Honolulu to take on No. 11 Indiana in the Armed Forces Classic. Nick Krug and I will be representing the Journal-World and KUsports.com on the islands, so be sure to check out all kinds of coverage this week leading up to the game.

— See what people were saying about KU’s matchup against Emporia State during KUsports.com’s live coverage.


More news and notes from the exhibition win over Emporia State


[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2016/nov/06/mykhailiuk-shows-leap-improvement-104-62-exhibitio/

The Kansas bench keeps it loose during the second half, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016 at Allen Fieldhouse.
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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.