Best and worst of KU’s Josh Jackson on display against Duke

Kansas coach Bill Self wasn’t going to let the moment pass.

When forward Josh Jackson emerged from a locker room tucked deep into a corner of Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, Self turned around to the reporters behind him.

“Be sure to ask him about his fouling,” he said with a grin.

Jackson broke into a smile, admittedly relieved after his team pulled out a 77-75 victory over No. 1 Duke while he was on the bench in the final five minutes.

“I got kind of hyped, and I lost my cool a little bit,” Jackson said. “I wish I could take it back, but I can’t.”

What Self knows and what Jackson is quickly figuring out is this: The superstar talent can’t let this happen.

He can’t show what he showed for a dominating four minutes in the second half then let outside forces take him out of the game the rest of the time.

He’s too good for this. A bad call? A bad-luck play?

This shouldn’t be all it takes to turn KU’s most talented player into someone incapable of helping his team.

“Without being negative at all, he can’t let his emotions get the best of him, and he’s a pretty emotional guy,” Self said. “He’s got to be able to contain that a little bit better.”

That started in the first half, when Jackson knocked the ball out of a Duke player’s hands for a technical. That was a big reason the 6-foot-8 forward was in foul trouble the rest of the night.

Later, in the second half, Jackson poked the ball away for a potential steal before picking up his third whistle on a reach-in violation. He threw his head back in disgust, before slapping the floor with both hands.

And this is where Self earned his paycheck even if the cameras didn’t catch it. The coach screamed to Jackson, holding up three fingers to let him know he needed to play smarter while dealing with foul trouble.

Self didn’t like the body language he received back. So quickly, he subbed in Svi Mykhailiuk, wrapping his arm around Jackson’s waist while talking with him for about 30 seconds.

“He just tried to calm me down a little bit,” Jackson said. “I bet when we look at the tape, it was probably a really good call by the referee actually.

“I was just really excited to play today. I’ve been really looking forward to being able to play in games like this my whole life. When I get silly fouls like that that take me out of the game, it kind of frustrated me.”

Self’s correct read ended up being an important moment, as a composed Jackson checked back in two minutes later.

An aggressive drive resulted in a short jumper. Then another attacking of the basket led to a left-handed finish.

Jackson looked every bit the nation’s top recruit. Self could sense it, and he called his team’s “4 up” play to get Jackson the ball in space at the top of the key. Jackson followed by hitting a three.

A minute later, “4 up” again. This time, Jackson swished an 18-footer.

“I felt like coach did a really good job of putting me in the right positions of where I’m comfortable, exposing mismatch problems,” Jackson said. “I felt like once one shot went in, I felt like I could hit another one and I could hit another one.”

That perhaps could have helped KU down the stretch too … if Jackson didn’t get in his own way. His fourth foul came at the 9:20 mark, he came back in at 5:15 and fouled out on an infraction away from the ball at 5:08.

And back came the pouting. Jackson ripped his jersey untucked, then marched to the bench, only to have KU assistant coach Kurtis Townsend follow him for another long pep talk.

Excuses are there for Jackson’s outbursts if one wants to use them. He had been looking forward to this game for a long time, as numerous family members visited including his grandmother who hadn’t seen him play in years.

And Self says, being fair, the two bright-spotlight games might not have been the best thing for Jackson’s early development.

The main point remains, though.

“Keeping focus and thinking next play is part of competing,” Self said, “and he’s got to learn that.”

He also received that message from somewhere else after the game.

Following his game-winning shot, KU guard Frank Mason found Jackson in the locker room. He said he’d been in Jackson’s shoes before, a jittery freshman who played just a little bit too aggressive.

He wanted Jackson to learn from his own past mistakes.

“He just told me I’ve got to try to play smarter,” Jackson said, “because they need me out there.”

That certainly will be the case later.

Mason might have been able to save this game, but he’ll likely need more help during the most important dates in March.

This story was originally published November 16, 2016 at 1:26 AM with the headline "Best and worst of KU’s Josh Jackson on display against Duke."