How KU revived a Bill Self specialty in its win over Baylor
Poor Jerome Tang knew what was coming ... all before his worst fear took place a few feet in front of him.
The Baylor assistant coach diagnosed the lob right away. He jumped up from the bench and pointed at Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji, who was standing in the corner just out of reach.
Was anyone listening? Tang shifted his weight from foot to foot, impatiently waiting for one of his players to give some indication they’d received the message.
Panic set in when a pass went back to KU’s Quentin Grimes on the left wing. With his right hand still pointing, Tang frantically whipped his left arm back, begging Baylor’s Mario Kegler to help protect the rim.
It was too late. Grimes threw it up, Agbaji cut to the rim, and the two-handed slam sent a jolt of energy through Allen Fieldhouse.
Tang’s four gesturing seconds had done no good.
Maybe KU still defeats Baylor on Saturday without this first-half bucket. As it turned out, the Jayhawks were able to complete a 78-70 home victory over Baylor, which secured a perfect 16-0 home record.
For this team, though, perhaps it will be the start of a trend that could be important in the season’s final weeks.
KU, at least for one game, was able to steal a few easy baskets.
“We didn’t run many plays,” KU coach Bill Self said, “but when we ran plays, we got exactly what we wanted today.”
Self has been honest about his team lately. It doesn’t have as high of a ceiling as some of his past squads, and because of that, the Jayhawks can’t always overcome their miscues with sheer talent.
This means there needs to be a greater focus on the small stuff: Scouting report defense. Playing with good basketball IQ.
And also executing, especially out of timeouts.
In coaching circles, after-timeout success is typically seen as an indication of good X’s and O’s. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Jayhawks have dominated this area under Self the past decade, finishing in the 80th percentile or better in seven of the past eight years, according to Synergy Sports’ logs.
| PPP | National percentile | |
| 2010-11 | 0.96 | 93rd |
| 2011-12 | 0.91 | 89th |
| 2012-13 | 0.90 | 85th |
| 2013-14 | 0.97 | 92nd |
| 2014-15 | 0.82 | 41st |
| 2015-16 | 0.97 | 91st |
| 2016-17 | 0.94 | 84th |
| 2017-18 | 1.06 | 99th |
| 2018-19 | 0.86 | 49th |
Yet, as one might expect, even that aspect hasn’t been particularly easy for this inexperienced KU team.
It’s why Saturday might provide some hope that the Jayhawks could be improving in a hidden but important facet.
After the first media timeout, KU also schemed its way to a layup, with Grimes delivering an accurate pass to Dedric Lawson, who’d pinned his defender on the high side.
A more crucial moment came later when the Jayhawks went back to Agbaji’s lob.
Self called timeout after Baylor cut the lead to eight midway through the second half, and the break gave him a better opportunity to be deceptive.
“Let’s surprise them real quick,” KU freshman David McCormack recalled Self saying in the huddle. “Don’t even call it out. Just run right into the play and get a lob for Ochai.”
McCormack would be the unsung hero again. His job was to hold his hands high and shield off the middle man in Baylor’s zone, allowing for a pass over the top of his head.
That often results in pain.
“I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily fun,” McCormack said with a smile, “because you do get banged and bruised up sometimes.”
This time, it was worth it. Baylor’s Freddie Gillespie tangled himself with McCormack, and Grimes’ pass made it to Agbaji, who was able to guide it in for two.
“I thought we executed those two (lob) plays pretty well,” Self said.
In a season like this, that’s a start.
KU won’t be able to overwhelm its opponents from here on out. Unlike some past KU teams, this roster can’t simply out-talent others, or afford to take for granted that a victory is a certainty on an off night.
The small details are important again. On Saturday, that meant every player doing their job in three key moments, which turned a potential close game into a comfortable victory.
KU hasn’t always looked like a Self team in that regard. Maybe that’s about to change.
This story was originally published March 9, 2019 at 6:42 PM.
