Jayhawks’ rebounding hasn’t suffered despite use of four-guard lineup

Bolstered by senior big man Landen Lucas, Kansas’ four-guard lineup has been able to hold its own on the backboards so far this season.

“That’s a huge focal point for us because we play small,” KU junior guard Devonté Graham said after the Jayhawks (17-1, 6-0 i the Big 12) outrebounded Iowa State 41-24 in a 76-72 victory over the Cyclones (11-6, 3-3) on Monday night at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.

“We can’t play small and get outrebounded every game. We take pride in trying to rebound and help Landen (Lucas) out, especially,” Graham added.

The Jayhawks have grabbed 238 rebounds in six Big 12 games, second in the 10-team league to Baylor’s 242. KU ranks first in rebounding in all games with 733 rebounds to second-place Baylor’s 696.

“You’ve got to defend and rebound and do all the little things every game — every possession — to make sure you win the game. We talk about those things a lot,” Graham said.

The Jayhawks rank third in the league in rebound margin in all games played (plus-6.6 to Texas Tech’s plus-7.4 and Baylor’s plus-8.7) and second in conference-only games (plus-5.5 to Baylor’s plus-10.7).

KU’s one inside player in the starting lineup — the 6-foot-10 Lucas — has averaged 11.0 rebounds in six league games, trailing only 6-10 Baylor junior Johnathan Motley, who has averaged a league-leading 11.5 caroms. Motley exploded for 32 points and 20 boards — both career best marks — in a 74-64 win over Texas on Tuesday in Waco.

Lucas had 14 points and six rebounds against Iowa State. Josh Jackson had eight boards, while fellow guards Frank Mason and Svi Mykhailiuk and forward Carlton Bragg had six rebounds apiece.

“He’s doing what he can do. He’s a great defensive rebounder. He’s an opportunistic offensive rebounder without question,” KU coach Bill Self said of Lucas. “Some of the best possessions we’ve had all year is because Landen has kept balls alive and stolen us some extra possessions. He’s our best talker and he’s our best defender in the post area.”

Bragg came off the bench to score 10 points and grab six rebounds in 15 minutes at Iowa State. For the year, the 6-10 sophomore averages 6.2 points and 5.2 boards (4.3 points, 4.5 rebounds in league play).

“He was great,” Self said of Bragg. “People say, ‘You should play Landen and Carlton together.’ Let Carlton guard one of the (Iowa State) guards and Landen guard a guard also at the 5 with (Iowa State’s Deonte) Burton? That’s a tough deal to play them together. But 43 minutes and 24 points and 12 rebounds (combined)? I’d take that line from a 5-man every night.”

Lucas missed just two shots in nine attempts against the Cyclones.

In league play, Lucas has been efficient, hitting 30 of 42 shots for 71.4 percent. Overall, he’s made 54 of 83 shots for 65.1 percent.

“We knew coming in they were going to play small. We were trying to feed him, get easy buckets,” said Graham, who had eight assists to two turnovers. “They had (6-4 senior) Burton on him a lot so we knew we could throw it in and get easy buckets. We were just trying to feed him.”

It’s been that way for a while now. Lucas scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting with 12 rebounds against Kansas State on Jan. 3 at Allen Fieldhouse. Lucas scored 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting with 17 rebounds against TCU on Dec. 30 in Fort Worth, Texas.

“We can see it in practice. We give him the ball and let him go to work. We practice just how we play,” Graham said. “He’s confident (because) we believe in him. We are going to keep feeding him no matter what.”

“We always try to throw ‘Lando’ the ball. He is a good force inside,” junior guard Mykhailiuk said. “One key to the game was throwing the ball to him. He made a lot of easy baskets.”

KU will next meet Texas at 1 p.m. Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.

Vitale likes Tar Heels to win it all

ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale on Wednesday said North Carolina was his early-on favorite to win the national championship.

“We’ve got the real scrutiny and a watch on Villanova. Can they pull a Florida, can they go back-to-back? Initially I would have said no, but I’m not so sure saying no now,” Vitale said on a national conference call.

“They’ve got a bunch of winners with (Josh) Hart, (Kris) Jenkins and (Jalen) Brunson. Those kids know how to win. They’ve got a coach that knows how to win. They make threes so well. They’ve got a star player. So again, that becomes a theme to me to watch when we get into the postseason. Can they go back-to-back?”

“The resurgence of UCLA has been unbelievable,” Vitale added. “Saying all that, Kansas, do they ever lose? Fifty-two in a row at home. Everybody talks about Baylor. People are talking about West Virginia now in the Big 12. You’ve still got to go through Lawrence, man. You’ve got to go through Lawrence, and Bill Self to me, nominated for the Hall of Fame, I hope he gets in because he’s so deserving for his achievements what he’s done.”

Yet Vitale likes the Tar Heels at this point of the season.

“They’ve got enough bodies. They’ve got enough talent. They’ve got enough coaching. I’m going with the team in Chapel Hill. I’m going North Carolina,” Vitale said.

“Had them the other day against a very talented, deep, physical Florida State team and they responded big time (96-83 win in Chapel Hill). They’re athletic. I don’t care what you play, they’re going to score. The question is can they control it on the other side of the floor?

“They’ve got a star in (Joel) Berry, (Justin) Jackson. They’ve got (Kennedy) Meeks on the interior. (Theo) Pinson is back. They’ve got guys coming off the bench the other day against a Florida State team that can rebound. They got 25 rebounds out of Pinson and out of (Luke) Maye. Maye gives them 15 rebounds and gives them that energy. People are like, ‘Oh, he’s just another player.’ He’s not just another player. He provides things that you don’t get in the statistical sheet. So I go North Carolina. I’m going Tar Heels all the way, Chapel Hill.”

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 7:23 PM with the headline "Jayhawks’ rebounding hasn’t suffered despite use of four-guard lineup."