Post-Game Awards: Washburn

Kansas defeated Washburn, 85-53, on Monday night in their first exhibition of the season. Kansas was almost flawless in the first half putting 42 points and allowing 13. In the second half, Washburn fouled a lot and Kansas couldn’t hit their free throws.

There were quite a few positives in this game, especially from the underclassmen.

Player of the Game: Frank Mason

Frank Mason put up a fantastic stat line in tonight’s win. In 24 minutes, Mason put up 13 points (4-for-5 from the field; 2-of-3 from 3 pt), seven assists, six rebounds and just one turnover.

Kansas’ biggest weaknesses from the past few seasons was point guard play. If Mason can consistently put up these numbers all season, it’ll be one of KU’s biggest strengths. With the departure of Tharpe and Frankamp, it is even more crucial for Mason to be consistent. Mason displayed flashes of brilliance last year but disappeared from others.

Honorable Mention: Cliff Alexander

Cliff Alexander was a beast. In the first half, he had 10 points, four rebounds and three blocks. He finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

“You Let the Whole Team Down”: Free Throw Shooting

There’s no point in singling out any one player in an exhibition game for poor play. Instead, I’m going to put all the blame on the whole team for not hitting free throws.

Kansas was 16-for-32 from the free throw line. They were atrocious.

Self said in the post game press conference that they hadn’t worked on free throw shooting yet and they’ll work on that in the next few weeks.