Game Summary:
Kansas was carried to victory by Jalen Wilson and Christian Braun, the only two Hawks to finish with above-bubble numbers for the game. Wilson produced over 22 points of value on excellent efficiency, while only giving up 8 points on defense. Braun was not quite as productive or efficient (although he was still very solid), but his defense was even stronger than Wilson’s (7 points allowed, more rebounds/steals/forced TO’s).
Zach Clemence came back from injury to help spark the Kansas comeback. He did finish with a negative score, which is more due to the fickle nature of a one-game moment than in how he played. He knocked down an assisted three, grabbed a few rebounds, and played solid defense for the most part. The only downsides to his performance was the missed free throws and a late and deep three that his opponent hit during OU’s desperation spurt during the final minute. If Zach gets more minutes and plays like he did, he will start putting up positive game scores.
The other Jayhawks were negative performers. David McCormack started out strong, but his defense (16 points allowed) negated his inside scoring presence. Neither Mitch Lightfoot nor K.J. Adams did much aside from Adams’s strong defense on the final possession of the game.
Ochai Agbaji had trouble scoring with the tight defense Oklahoma was applying. He forced quite a few bad shots, hurting his efficiency and thus his value. Dejuan Harris was okay at times, but his weakness handling the ball in the final seconds almost cost KU the game. As a PG, he has to be stronger with his team ahead in the final moments. Coleman-Lands and Yesufu did next to nothing in their limited minutes.
The team score of +0.16 places their performance right on the bubble-line. It was the team’s worst performance since Kentucky and worst conference game since the 1-point win against Iowa State at home.
The four non-post starters played 39, 38, 38, and 37 minutes. The reserve guards played less than 8 minutes, while D-Mac/Lightfoot/Adams/Clemence split 40 minutes at the 5. Using the adjusted HHI formula, this was KU’s most concentrated lineup of the season (0.781). Self tends to sub quite a bit less in close games, but his rotations Saturday were extreme.
Charting the Hawks 