Post-Game Awards: Kansas State (Round Two)

Beware of the Blog’s Player of the Game is Brannen Greene. Greene and Frankamp gave KU meaningful minutes when starters like Wayne Selden and big minute reserve Frank Mason just weren’t getting it done. Frankamp had his best sequence as a Jayhawk, stripping the senior Will Spradling  in the half-court and then sprinting down for a sweet three point jumper. That is a play we are going to see a lot in the years to come. Greene gets the nod though. The freshman almost single-handedly kept KU’s chances alive in the dying minutes of the game. If ever the doubt that Greene will be a meaningful player for KU for years to come, his flurry on Monday night should put those to rest. The kid can play and when he gets a chance he is going to be great for Self. Greene finished with 10 points in a mere 15 minutes of game time. He shot 50% from the field. Brannen also pulled down 5 rebounds and had three steals and only 1 turnover. He secures his first player of the game award of the season.

Current Standings:

• 1. Andrew Wiggins (6)
  
• T-2. Perry Ellis (4)
  
• T-2. Naadir Tharpe (4)
• T-2. Wayne Selden (4)
• T-3. Joel Embiid (2)
  
• T-3. Frank Mason (2)
• T-4. Tarik Black (1)
• T-4. Brannen Greene (1)

You let the whole team down Joel Embiid. Embiid hasn’t been himself for over two weeks now. He looks slow up and down the floor, less nimble on post moves and less explosive on the glass.  He hyperextended that knee in the TCU game and then tweaked his back against WVU and it looks like both of those injuries have the prized big man a little banged up right now. Embiid was a non-factor in this one. He played only 18 minutes and had only six points missing 60% of his shot attempts. He did collect six rebounds and block a shot, but also gave the ball away two times. The reason he takes this away from Selden (who actually statistically hurt his team more), is because KU needs his post presence against a team like K-State and without him and Jamari protecting the rim KSU was able to score almost at will inside.

Embiid will get some time off according to Self. That’s good, and this will be as good of timing for it as KU will have going forward. Embiid will have a long week before TCU comes to town. That is a game in which Embiid won’t play and won’t be needed. Then he will have as many as six more days off if he skips the Texas Tech game. KU will probably fare ok without him in that one as well. All in all Embiid is looking at nearly two weeks of recovery time to get him ready for the final stages of this season. And we need him to recover well, because KU is simply not the same team defensively without him.