Postgame Report Card: Kansas 90, Kansas State 88

By Matt Tait     Jan 3, 2017

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Kansas guard Josh Jackson (11) comes in with a put-back bucket against Kansas State during the first half, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Quick grades for five aspects of KU’s thrilling, 90-88 victory over Kansas State at Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.

Offense: A
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They scored 52 points in the first half and, somehow, led by 10 after the Wildcats shot 54 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three-point range during the same 20-minute period. It’s to the point now where it’s newsworthy if the Jayhawks’ offense isn’t an A.

Defense: C
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The Jayhawks had plenty of opportunities to bury the Wildcats but kept letting them off the hook by breaking down against dribble penetration and good ball movement. KU did grind out just about every possession and that saved them from getting a C-minus here. Some of the credit for this effort has to go to K-State’s players for being absolutely fearless all night.

Frontcourt: B+
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Lucas was so good yet again (18 points and 12 rebounds) and delivered some of his biggest buckets and rebounds when the Jayhawks needed them most.

Backcourt: A
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Jackson was sensational in the first half and Frank Mason was Frank Mason. But the big bucket came from Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk at the buzzer and the Jayhawks would’ve been blown out of not for their backcourt. Such is life.

Bench: C
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Vick and Bragg were merely average — good moments mixed with bad — and Lightfoot did not play enough to factor too heavily into this grade.

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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.