Kansas senior Udoka Azubuike closing in on Greg Dreiling’s record: ‘I don’t check it’
Kansas center Udoka Azubuike has an opportunity to shatter a pair of shooting accuracy records against Villanova on Saturday at Wells Fargo Center, home of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 7-foot, 255-pound senior from Delta, Nigeria, who has made 64 of 77 field goal attempts for an unheard-of 83.1 percent for the 9-1 Jayhawks, has converted his last 15 field goal tries over three games (Colorado, Milwaukee, UMKC).
If Azubuike makes his first shot against Villanova in the 11 a.m. tipoff, he’ll tie former KU center Greg Dreiling for most consecutive field goals without a miss in KU history. Wichita native Dreiling made 16 shots in a row against Missouri, Louisville and Iowa State in January 1986.
If Azubuike makes his first five shots Saturday, he’ll tie Baylor’s Quincy Acy for most consecutive buckets without a miss in Big 12 history. Acy made 20 straight shots over a span of four games in 2008.
Down the line, if Azubuike can make his next 15 tries, he’ll tie Yale’s Brandon Sherrod, who holds the NCAA record of 30 consecutive makes over five games in 2016.
“Not really. I don’t check it,” Azubuike said Thursday, asked if he follows his shooting stats. “I hear what people say but I really do not pay attention to that.”
Azubuike already is KU’s single-season field goal percentage leader. He made 211 of 274 shots for 77 percent in 2017-18. That’s a bit better than Mark Randall’s 64.6 percent shooting mark in 1988-89. The NCAA record for accuracy from the field in a single season is 80 percent by Devontae Cacok of UNC Wilmington, who was 184 of 230 in 2016-17.
Azubuike — he has made 75.9 percent of his shots in his KU career, is on track to set the school’s career record. Randall made 62 percent of his shots from 1987-91.
“It will be a little bit of a challenge,” Azubuike said of Saturday’s game against No. 18-ranked and 8-2 Villanova. “It is an away game, on a different court, away from the fieldhouse. It will be our first road test.”
KU coach Bill Self said Thursday at his weekly news conference he’s been pleased with Azubuike’s production and leadership his senior campaign.
“It’s his last go-round. He’s been told three years about what leadership looks like,” Self said of Azubuike, who has averaged 14.2 points and 8.1 rebounds a game this season. “He is trying. He is growing up. He is still young (20). He has done great. His effort in practice has been incredible.
“The other thing he’s done … when things don’t go well he speaks his mind,” Self added. “Before he held his cards close to his vest. I’m proud of him for that.”
Sophomore point guard Devon Dotson said Azubuike, “has been great. He’s talking a little bit more. That’s not really in his nature. He’s doing a better job of stepping outside of his comfort zone. I feel he’s been doing a good job of that.”
Azubuike — his one problem continues to be free throw shooting; he’s made 14 of 37 for 37.8 percent — says he’s made a point of trying to speak up this season. He was quick to seek out freshman Christian Braun in KU’s last game against UMKC after Braun apparently went the wrong way on a play.
“I mean I’ve been more of a leader,” Azubuike said. “Being a senior on the team I have to be vocal. It’s what I’ve been doing in practice, talking to my teammates, kind of taking that extra step being more a leader.”
Azubuike said the Jayhawks are a close-knit unit this season.
“It is good,” he said of team chemistry. “As a team we get along with each other. We like each other. We are all friends off the court.”
He said the week-long trip to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational “played a huge part (in developing chemistry). We were playing together, more together just from that experience.”
Point guard Dotson agreed chemistry has been “pretty good” for the No. 1-ranked Jayhawks.
“It’s still mid to early in the season,” said Dotson, KU’s leading scorer at 19.6 points a game (on 50.4 percent shooting). There’s improvements that we can get better at of course. For the most part we are together. We can always get better.
“Everybody in the locker room has that same mindset. We want to win. We are all competitive, have the same end goal. That can help us a lot on the court.”
