KU’s offense shows it’s more than just talented guards

Bill Self turned to his point guard, who had been hobbled by a knee injury for most of the game.

“Frank, you want to run it?”

Frank Mason gave the OK, knowing the play was going to put him in a spot to score.

He did that a few seconds later in KU’s 76-72 victory over Iowa State on Monday night.

After receiving the ball, Mason drove left while isolated against Iowa State’s Monte Morris, clearing space with his right shoulder before banking in a short floater in the lane.

That set up KU’s knockout punch — a three-possession stretch starting at the 4:16 mark of the second half — in which the Jayhawks showed their full offensive repertoire in building an eight-point lead.

After the senior point guard took over the first possession, the talented freshman wing was next.

With the shot clock winding down, Josh Jackson took two dribbles right, stopped to make a complex crossover behind his back and between his legs, then crossed over again to drive for a contested 8-footer off the glass.

OK, Iowa State had been burned by two drives. Time to take that away, right?

Self counterpunched with a play meant to get his big man an angle, and KU ran it perfectly.

Landen Lucas cleared Iowa State’s Deonte Burton and got him on the high side. After Devonté Graham lofted the pass, Lucas caught it cleanly and high with two hands to keep it away from the double team, composing himself before putting in a layup over Burton.

Self, a few steps away on the bench, gave two subtle fist pumps as his players ran to the other end.

This is a luxury few teams have.

The NCAA Tournament is about being as upset-proof as possible. Not only is it a battle to shrink your own deficiencies, but it’s also a test to see if you can quickly uncover flaws in opponents.

KU isn’t likely to ever have as much of a frontcourt advantage this year as it did Monday, but then again, maybe it will. Perhaps a similar scenario will turn up during an early game in March, when KU will have to overpower a team playing super-small.

Self and the Jayhawks found a new and different way to win Monday. KU outmuscled Iowa State, putting in close shot after close shot. An offense that has been fueled by three-pointers shot just five of them in the second half — and still played some of its most efficient basketball of the year.

Even after Lucas and Carlton Bragg bobbled some passes and turned others over, Self went back to them again and again.

The final outcome: KU scored 52 points in the paint, which included a combined 24 from Lucas and Bragg.

It all resulted in a much-needed road victory, especially because the conference schedule only gets tougher from here.

This story was originally published January 17, 2017 at 12:14 AM with the headline "KU’s offense shows it’s more than just talented guards."