Monday Notebook: Football Ends as Basketball Heats Up
Here are a few summaries of what’s going on with Kansas Athletics this week, November 28:
1. Kansas wins the CBE Classic on the backs of Mason and Jackson
It was a very solid week for Kansas basketball last week. First, KU secured an 83-63 victory over the UAB Blazers, and the next day, it picked up a 65-54 win against the Bulldogs of Georgia. As the title to this blurb suggests, Frank Mason and Josh Jackson were very, very good in these games. Then, throw a really good Devonte’ Graham and a sharpshooting Svi Mykhailiuk in the mix, and it makes KU’s backcourt one of the best in the country – Duke and Kentucky included.
The Jayhawks scored 148 points in this mini-tournament. These four guards accounted for 124 of those points. This insane stat is partially due, of course, to the fact that these players are very talented. But it is also out of necessity. Kansas’ post players scored a combined 15 points in the two games (Lagerald Vick had the remaining 9 points). Landen Lucas, Carlton Bragg, Udoka Azubuike, and “Doug” (C’mon, Daniel, he deserves to be called Dwight after the way he played on Tuesday) Coleby could only muster 15 POINTS IN TWO FULL GAMES AGAINST AVERAGE TEAMS. But… I digress. The ‘Hawks won and that’s what matters most.
2. The Jayhawks destroy UNC-Asheville
KU rolled to a 95-57 win on Friday, and it wasn’t even that close. The Jayhawks looked energetic and precise for the vast majority of the game. Frank Mason was yet again on-point, dropping 21 along with 5 dimes and 5 boards. Josh Jackson and Devonte Graham combine for 20 points, 18 assists, and 10 rebounds. We’ve been talking about how good the guards are all season, but it was a relief to see a KU big man playing up to par with those them.
That KU big is Udoka Azubuike. He scored 17 (that’s more than the four big men scored combined a week ago) points and had three blocks. Most of those points came by way of the dunk, but Azubuike also hit a free throw and had a couple nice post moves. He looked very solid, so he could be starting for a while. Carlton Bragg and Landen Lucas weren’t as sloppy as they have been, but they still had two fouls apiece. I’m nitpicking a little bit by pointing that out. To sum it all up, KU dominated and will most likely continue to do so for the next few weeks.
3. The 2015-16 Kansas Jayhawks football season is over
First off, I just want to say this to those people out there who think KU sucks (and at times they did in fact look pretty bad): you didn’t watch very much if any of the games, did you? This team fought its heart out every single week. They refused to quit. A 2-10 record is certainly nothing to brag about, but there are more than enough things to be excited about for next season.
Take Carter Stanley, for instance. He’s a true freshman who made some freshman-esque mistakes, but I think he will be a very solid quarterback moving forward. Stanley will also have the pleasure of commanding a… dare I say… loaded offense, as KU will be returning a ton of talent. Defensive coordinator Clint Bowen will hopefully continue his steady progress of turning KU’s defense into one of the best in the Big 12. Coach David Beaty showed significant improvement from year one to year two, and I expect nothing less looking ahead to year three. Defensive end Dorance Armstrong and wide receiver Steven Sims are as good as anybody in the Big 12 and are a testament to Coach Beaty’s ability to recruit talented players. I believe next year is going to be very exciting for the Jayhawks, and I think a lot of people would agree. Stay hungry, Hawks!
4. Let’s check back in with KU woman’s volleyball and soccer
Volleyball is now 26-2 after defeating Baylor three sets to two to win the Big 12 regular season title. Very impressive! Meanwhile, Kansas women’s soccer was knocked off by North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament by a score of 2-0. Really solid seasons from these ladies, and the best of luck to them in their postseason and next season respectively.
Landen Fields is a contributor for Rock Chalk Blog. You can check out his archive here.
