Preview: KU will close nonconference schedule with Brown | News, sports, jobs

Kansas starters gather at Allen Fieldhouse prior to the game against North Carolina State on Saturday, December 14, 2024. Photo by Nick Krug

After suffering burnout not long ago, Kansas coach Bill Self isn’t ready to say the Jayhawks have taken a step forward.

“The last time I told you I thought we were getting better, we sucked,” he told reporters Thursday. “So I’m not going to say that, but I’ll tell you this: I think we had a good, productive week and the attitude was great, and knock on wood seems to be healthier.”

The Jayhawks got their season back on track after uninspiring road losses at Creighton and Missouri with a 75-60 win over NC State at Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 14. That was KU’s only game in a two-week period during which the Jayhawks worked tirelessly in practice to improve before Big 12 play began on New Year’s Eve.

“There were definitely some things we needed to work on,” forward Zach Clemence said. “It was some tough practices, I’m not going to lie, it was some tough practices, but I think we needed it. We’re better off for it, so I think it all worked out.”

The final yardstick by which the team can measure its progress as it continues to incorporate its new players (six weeks into their KU careers at this point) before the ordeal that will be the Big 12 Conference’s 20-game schedule, is a game against Brown on Sunday at 2 p.m

“Going into the Big 12 last year, I’m not sure that overall we didn’t play maybe a little bit better than we’ve been… but there’s more unknowns for me this year,” Self said. “How much can Shak (Moore) help us? How much can Rylan (Griffen) and AJ (Storr) really play to their skill set that fits our style, really come into their own and have a great second semester?”

The addition of the Bears won’t come close to definitively settling any of these questions, but it could at least provide some clues as to how the Jayhawks enter a new phase of their season.

Brown will enter Sunday with six wins in a row, including two exciting duels against home opponents Bryant and previously unbeaten Rhode Island. The Bryant game ended with a three-pointer from Kino Lilly Jr. with three seconds left, while the Rhode Island game went into two overtimes, with Lilly making a layup and six free throws in the final period.

Lilly, a senior guard from Glenn Dale, Maryland, is clearly the Bears’ leader, as a reigning first-team All-Ivy League player who has scored exactly 23 points in each of the last three games and is already 40-for- 90 (44.4%) from deep this year.

Forward Landon Lewis has played a larger role this season with 14.9 points and 7.4 rebounds, and his 20 total blocks are a big reason why Brown ranks 11th in the country with 5.7 blocks per game. At 6-foot-3, Aaron Cooley is another reliable scoring option on the wing while rebounding about as well as Lewis.

The Bears may have only received one vote in the Ivy preseason poll, but they have another who believes in himself.

“I really believe – I don’t know exactly where they were predicted to be in the preseason conference race – but they will be a team that competes for the championship in their league,” he said.

No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks (8-2) vs. Brown Bears (7-3)

• Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, 2 p.m

• Transmitted: ESPN

• radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (in Lawrence, KLWN AM 1320 / K269GB FM 101.7 / KMXN FM 92.9)

Keep an eye out

Plateau formation: Self said freshman center Flory Bidunga experienced “a very, very dramatic increase” in terms of overall growth before plateauing around the time KU lost in back-to-back games at Creighton and Missouri. In fact, Bidunga averaged eight points per game, but has scored a total of three points in the last three games and has also seen his rebound numbers decline in lower appearances – not long after Self said he wanted Bidunga to play even more. Now Self believes Bidunga is back on an upward trajectory, which he says is particularly important as he looks to keep Hunter Dickinson’s minutes under control. Currently, Dickinson is averaging just over 29 minutes per game against power conference opponents, roughly in line with Self’s 30-minute goal.

Defined role: As Moore continues to practice in full before the Christmas break – an outcome that seemed unlikely when Self said on Nov. 26 that he would be out indefinitely – Self expects him to settle into the backup point guard role Dajuan Harris Jr. Moore trains Three appearances during his injury problems were so short, totaling 12 minutes, that he has not yet had the opportunity to meaningfully fill this role. Sunday could be his first opportunity to do that and demonstrate the value he brings to the Jayhawks as a “potentially elite perimeter defender and elite athlete,” as Self put it. By the way, if KU can successfully install Moore as a backup point guard, that would also mean that David Coit and Zeke Mayo could play exclusively without the ball.

Load management: This will be more of an issue as KU deals with its conference schedule beginning Dec. 31, but Self admitted Thursday that he needs to “get smarter” when it comes to players like Dickinson, KJ Adams and Hunter Dickinson easier to train fashion throughout the season. With a 20-game conference schedule with no breaks in sight, they need to maintain their energy to avoid becoming a tired team, as Self said last year.

Observation out of balance

This is the third year in a row that KU has gone on vacation and played an Ivy League team. The last two years have featured somewhat shaky wins against Harvard in 2022 (KU trailed 20-16 after 15 minutes before scoring 13 straight points) and Yale in 2023 (KU trailed 25-14 after 14 minutes back and stayed behind until the 12th minute). mark of the second half).