Wayne Selden Leads KU over Brazil, 81-72

The uniforms were slightly different, but the Jayhawks grabbed another victory in the World University Games on Sunday morning. Led by Wayne Selden, KU once again overcame a slow start to down Brazil, 81-72.

It took Kansas nearly four minutes to simply score a point, but when it finally got into gear late in the first half, there was no looking back. KU won the second quarter by a 28-15 margin, surging to a 12-point halftime lead and coasting the rest of the way to an eventual nine-point victory. As a result, KUSA improved to 2-0 in Group D play.

Stats:

• For the third straight game, Wayne Selden led KU in scoring with 23 points. That includes 8/14 from the floor and 3/6 from behind the arc. He played all but just eight seconds in the game.
• After shooting 63% and 66% from the foul line in each of his first two college seasons, Selden is 12-13 in the last three games.
• Frank Mason: 15 points despite a rough shooting day, making just two of 10 field goals. He scored the bulk of his points from the free throw line, going 11-14. He also added eight rebounds, seven assists, and one steal to just two turnovers. He played 38 minutes.
• The best big man in the game for KU was Hunter Mickelson, who scored 11 points and snagged eight boards. His biggest field goal came when Perry Ellis missed a layup, and Mickelson threw down the miss with one hand at the rim. He played 25 minutes.
• Perry Ellis: nine points (3/9 FG) and eight rebounds. He played just 21 minutes and was shaken up in the second half when he “tweaked” his ankle. Bill Self said after the game that there appears to be no structural damage.
• Jamari Traylor: 10 points and two rebounds in 19 minutes. He was 3/4 from the floor and the foul line. A much-improved performance from the first game.
• Nic Moore had a rough game, held scoreless in just under 10 minutes while committing a KU-worst five turnovers. He was thrown all over the floor on defense. Expect a bounce-back performance on Tuesday.
• The KU freshmen: LaGerald Vick with eight points and six boards in 24 minutes, far more than he had played in the first two contests. Carlton Bragg had two points and four rebounds in 10 minutes.
• Julian Debose contributed his first three points of World Games play, making a two and a free throw in nine minutes.
• Turnovers continue to be a massive problem for the Jayhawks. They committed 22 of them on Sunday morning, bringing their two-game total to 38.
• After barely shooting 50% from the free throw line on Friday, Kansas was terrific against Brazil, making 27 of 33 (82%).
• Overall, Kansas was 24/56 (43%) from the floor. Brazil was held to just 39%, making 26 of 67 field goals.
• KU’s three-point percentage jumped from 20% against Canada to 35% (6/17) on Sunday. Brazil, meanwhile, struggled from deep, going just 6/26 (23%)
• Rebounding was the game’s biggest matchup; Kansas snagged 50 boards compared to just 27 for Brazil. The offensive rebounding ratio (16:9) was also in KUSA’s favor.
• Moore and Traylor both fouled out for KU; they combined for 10 of the whopping 51 fouls called on Sunday morning.

Next for Team USA/Kansas: the undefeated Jayhawks will take on Chile at 12:30 am CDT on Tuesday, but the game is not currently scheduled to be broadcasted on TV. The next televised contest will be later that same day at 10:00 pm when Kansas plays Serbia. Three games remain in group play before the quarterfinals.