Kansas Jayhawks: 6.65
C Landen Lucas Sr. 6
Lucas was
productive in the post. He shored 11 points, including five from the
FT line. He also had 7 rebounds. Somehow Lucas was in position to
turn the ball over three times. Lucas had a tough task assigned to
him, facing Thomas Bryant on defense. Lucas is a pretty good defender
inside, but Bryant is one of the best bigs on offense in the country.
Lucas was one of four Jayhawks to foul out. At least he made it deep
into overtime though.
F C.Bragg Jr. So. 5.5
Bragg only
played 18 minutes due to foul trouble. He ended up fouling out with
six minutes to go in regulation. Bragg got his offense going early in
the game. He ran the floor well, and had good positioning on offense.
Bragg scored 12 points on 6-7 shooting. Three of his four rebounds
were on the offensive end. Bragg needs to learn to play defense
without fouling. He is one of the keys for Kansas this year.
F Josh Jackson Fr. 4.5
Josh Jackson
did not have a very god debut for Kansas. He looked very raw on both
ends of the floor. Jackson finished the game 3-11, scoring 9 points.
He was in foul trouble for most of the game, but as the only Kansas
starter not to foul out. Jackson did grab 6 rebounds, but he as
Kansas' biggest player by the end of the game.
G D.Graham Jr. 6
Graham is one
half of one of the best backcourts in the college game this year.
Graham was the team's second leading scorer with 16 points. However,
he shot just 3-11, and 2-6 from 3pt range. Half of Graham's points
were earned on the charity stripe. He was 8-9 from the line. Graham
was one of the four Kansas players to foul out.
G F.Mason III Sr. 9.5
Mason is the
current leader for National Player of the Year. He was tremendous,
and single handedly kept Kansas in this game. Mason's ability to get
to the basket and score, despite his size, is incredible. It did not
matter who Indiana tried to guard him with, including 6'8 OG Anunoby,
Mason could not be stopped. Now, he did shoot just 1-5 from beyond
the arc, but he made 13 of 15 free throw attempts. Mason has a great
nose for the ball, and high IQ. He grabbed 7 rebounds, and 9 assists.
He played 40 minutes, and scored 30, before fouling out at the end of
the game.
G Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk Jr. 7.5
Mykhailiuk will
come off the bench this year, but he will play starter minutes. He is
a spark on offense, and looks more assertive this season. He played
with some swagger, and was more than just a catch-and-shoot guy. He
finished with 12 points on 5-9 shooting, making two of five from
beyond the arc. Mykhailiuk added 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 assists.
C Lagerald Vick So. 6
Vick played 28
minutes this game, up from his 4.1 average his freshman season. Vick
was not one of the primary scoring option, when he was on the floor,
but he showed he could knock down a shot. He was 2-5, with a three.
He did not appear to be anything special on defense against Indiana's
guards, but did finish with two steals.
C Udoka Azubike Fr. N/A
Did not play
enough to qualify.
Team Overview:
Kansas looked
really good at times, but they are not particularly balanced. They
are driven by their backcourt, primarily Frank Mason III. Graham and
Mykhailiuk are nice complements on the wing, but Jackson needs to
develop into a second star quickly. Bragg also looks like he can be a
nice power forward, excelling on the boards, and running out in
transition, but he is still raw on the defensive end, and has to stay
out of foul trouble. Kansas looks like a much smaller team than they
were a year ago, and had little answer to Thomas Bryant inside.
Indiana Hoosiers: 7.95
F/C T.Bryant So. 9
Thomas Bryant
looked like a special player last night. He's a complete big man, who
can score inside or out, and also play good defense, and grab a bunch
of boards, especially on the offensive end. Bryant did foul out, late
in regulation, and that will be something that will have to be
monitored in future games. Bryant finished with a double-double, 19
points and 10 rebounds. He looks like a star.
F OG Anunoby So. 7
Aununoby is a
versatile player. All of his shots came from beyond the arc, and he
made three of seven. Some of those shots were poorly selected though.
Anunoby can guard multiple positions, and even guarded Mason at one
point (to no avail). He finished the game with 13 points, 7 rebounds,
and 3 blocks.
G James Blackmon Jr. Jr. 10
Blackmon proved
to be the leader of this team, especially late in the second, and in
overtime. He was the team's leading scorer with 26. He shot a high
percentage 8-17, including 4-8 from three point range. Blackmon was
aggressive to the basket as well, and made 6-7 from the FT line. He
added 6 rebounds. Blackmon showed he's back, and Indiana, maybe,
won't miss Ferrell so much.
G Robert Johnson Jr. 6.5
Johnson only
played 21 minutes due to foul trouble, and fouled out before the end
of regulation. He was an efficient scorer though, making three of six
shots for 10 points. Johnson is a nice offensive player behind the
top options of Blackmon and Bryant.
G Josh Newkirk Jr. 6
Newkirk has the
tough task of replacing Yogi Ferrell. He was not a little quiet this
game, with Blackmon and Bryant having louder games. However, Newkirk
just needs to set the pace for the offense, and avoid mistakes. He
did that. Newkirk shot just 2-8, scoring 7 points. He also had 5
rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 turnovers.
F Juwan Morgan So. 7.5
Morgan played
really well off of the bench. Morgan gives the team additional size,
and the team looked good with Bryant, Anunoby, and Bryant on the
court together. Morgan did end up fouling out in overtime. He
finished the game with 6 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists.
G Curtis Jones Fr. 8
Curtis Jones
also played well coming off the bench. He played just 16 minutes, but
scored 15 points. It seemed as tough every shot the freshman took was
going in, but I suppose that's a bit of hyperbole, only half of his
shots went in. Jones finished 5-10, and 2-3 from beyond the arc, for
15 points. He looks like a nice asset for this team.
G Devonte Green Fr. 6
Green is a less
heralded freshman than Jones, but got some playing time this game
with Johnson fouling out. Green was 1-2, taking both of his shots
from behind the 3pt arc.
F De'Ron Davis Fr. N/A
Did not play
enough to qualify.
Team Overview:
Indiana looked
very good against a team ranked #3 in the nation. Bryant is a star in
the frontcourt with multiple skills. Indiana is capable of playing
both big, and small, and they are effective either way. James
Blackmon is healthy, and looks ready to pick up the mantle. Anunoby
needs to be a little more flexible on offense, 3-7 from outside isn't
bad, but some of his misses were bad shots, and he didn't even look
to score inside. He could be much better with a more well rounded
offensive game. Indiana has a nice bench too. Morgan is a nice glue
guy, and Jones can come off the bench and score. The one question I
have for this team is their perimeter defense. They really struggled
containing Mason III, but maybe everyone will. Indiana was the most
impressive team opening night.
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