The Kansas Jayhawks capped off their second consecutive win, and fifth in their last six games, with a 74-61 win on the road over the TCU Horned Frogs. Head coach Bill Self, who had recently finally figured out a starting five and a bench rotation that works for him, had to go back into his hat of tricks with KJ Adams still out due to an injury.
Freshman Flory Bidunga, who had been a spark off the bench, has been moved into the starting lineup for now. There’s no guarantee Adams gets his starting job back when healthy, but it feels like that is the move Self will make. For now, Bidunga has embraced the role as starter. Bidunga picked up his first collegiate double-double while scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He also added four blocked shots and only picked up two fouls in his 25 minutes. Foul trouble has plagued Bidunga, even when he was coming off the bench, but controlling his defense made for a strong game for the freshman.
Dajuan Harris continued playing his role, running the point and making plays for others. Hunter Dickinson had a solid second half and finished with 16 points. Zeke Mayo finished with a quiet 13 points. Shakeel Moore hit some big three-pointers in the second half, shooting 3-4 from beyond the arch, and finished with 11 points. The starters played the role that was expected of them, but it was the trio of players off the bench that really pushed the Jayhawks to victory at TCU on Wednesday night. Rylan Griffen wasn’t having a great shooting night but hit a three off the bench and added four points. David Coit only played for nine minutes but hit a big three-pointer as Kansas had just taken over the lead early in the second half. He also added two assists.
While Griffen and Coit played admirably, AJ Storr finally had a breakout game off the bench for the Jayhawks. He finished the game with 12 points, six rebounds, three steals and an assist. Storr, who had been in the starting lineup at times early in the season, had largely been pushed aside since conference play began. The game against TCU was the first time he’d played more than 20 minutes during Big 12 play. Storr has the ability to be a playmaker and he flashed that again in the win over TCU.
The way guys like Griffen, Coit, and Storr play will help Kansas reach their full potential. When Adams returns from injury, whether it’s he or Bidunga coming off the bench, they will also play a critical role in the team’s success. Last season, the Jayhawks did not have the talent outside of the starting five to make any kind of run in March. The way Self has built this team, if everyone continues to buy in and contribute the way they are capable of, the sky’s the limit for these Jayhawks.
Kansas has a tough matchup at home this Saturday against a Top-10 Houston squad. The final month and a half of the season is not the most daunting schedule in the conference. After Houston, Kansas will only play two other games against teams that are currently ranked. The Jayhawks will get Iowa State at home on February 3, their lone ranked matchup in February, and then at Houston a month later on March 3.
Other Big 12 teams they are playing could be ranked along the way, most notably Arizona, which is currently a top-three team in the conference. Kansas will host Arizona in their regular season finale on March 8th. Baylor may be ranked when KU travels to Waco on February 1. We’ll see how the next few weeks play out.
It’s tough to win on the road in the Big 12, but Kansas will likely be favored in most of their games moving forward. The Jayhawks have the players to make a run at the Big 12 title and, subsequently, a Final Four run in March. It will all come down to how the guys coming off-the-bench play. If they can continue to play at a high level, this could end up being a memorable season for the Jayhawks.
