KU’s Christian Braun ready for his second Sunflower Showdown game against K-State
Almost all of the discussion surrounding Kansas’ 81-60 victory over Kansas State on Jan. 21 in Allen Fieldhouse focused on the brawl that broke out at the end of the lopsided result.
Lost amid the punches thrown and ensuing suspensions handed out to two KU players and two K-State players was the breakout performance of Christian Braun, a KU freshman from the state of Kansas who hit six threes and scored a game- and career-high 20 points with four rebounds, two steals and an assist in 29 minutes.
“We should be in here talking about Christian Braun and selfishness definitely created a situation where that’s not going to be the story line whatsoever,” KU coach Bill Self said immediately after that game, the first of two between the squads during the 2019-20 regular season. No. 1-ranked KU (25-3, 14-1 Big 12) will meet K-State (9-19, 2-13) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan.
If it’s any consolation to Braun, a 6-foot-6 guard who followed the KU-K-State rivalry closely as a youngster in his hometown of Burlington, he did chat personally with Self about being the unofficial star of the game in his first Sunflower Showdown.
“We talked about it,” Braun, who moved to Overland Park in ninth grade and won three straight state titles at Blue Valley Northwest, said Thursday. “It (his 20 points) wasn’t a big focus. We were more focused on getting that win and taking another step toward what we want to do (win league). We weren’t really focused on individual performances in any ways. We’re more focused on getting wins and moving on.”
Braun hit a career-best six three-pointers in 10 attempts and was 7-of-15 shooting overall against the Wildcats.
“Absolutely,” Braun said, asked if it was a highlight of his still-young college career. “I’m from Kansas. Having that game against them was obviously special for me. It was probably my best game shooting-wise, but like I said we’re more focused on getting wins.”
He was pleased to directly help the Jayhawks beat their rivals after enjoying so many of the games on TV for several years.
“It’s one of my favorite games to watch every year,” Braun said. “I’ve always loved watching the game. I’ve always been a KU fan so I’ve always been on the same side. I always liked seeing KU get the win against them. It’s different to be part of it competing. It (Saturday) is my first time playing in Manhattan so I’m pretty excited.”
Asked if he had any particular KU-KSU memories that stand out the most, Braun said: “None in particular. Most of mine come from wins so we’re going to try to keep that going.”
KU’s 13th straight win over K-State in Allen Fieldhouse was led by Braun.
“Well you know Christian is a good shooter,” Self said of Braun, who averages 5.3 points a game on 43.5% shooting. He’s made 30 of 66 three-pointers for 45.5%. In Big 12 games only, he’s averaged 6.6 points per game on 46.3% shooting, making 21 of 40 threes for 52.5%.
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Sign up“He needs to have his feet set like most people to be a good shooter. In that game, he made six threes. You don’t make six threes unless you are Markus Howard (Marquette) and can get it (three-point shot) off the bounce. He made a couple off the bounce.”
Self said he’d like Braun and fellow freshman wing Tristan Enaruna to play beyond their years the rest of the way.
“It’s time those guys no longer are freshmen and have the confidence to go make plays,” Self said. “I do believe David (McCormack, sophomore forward) and Christian off the bench have done that at a pretty good rate for us. We’ll need all eight moving forward,” he added of the eight-man rotation.
Braun said he’s comfortable both taking the wide open shot or driving to the hoop.
“I think I passed up one or two (threes) in the Oklahoma State game. He (Self) said something to me. He said, ‘Let it fly,” Braun said. He scored 10 points on 3-of-4 three-point shooting in KU’s last game, a 83-58 win over OSU on Monday night in Allen Fieldhouse. “That’s another part of, ‘Stop thinking, just play.’ I don’t think I’ve passed up too many open looks. I try to shoot them when I’m open,” Braun added.
As far as Saturday’s matchup, KU, which is 34-6 overall versus K-State and 11-5 in Bramlage Coliseum in the 17-year Self era, lost its last game in Manhattan, 74-67, on Feb. 5, 2019.
K-State went on to win the Big 12 in 2018-19, grabbing a share of the crown with Texas Tech. The Jayhawks, who finished third in the conference a year ago and saw their 14-year string of league titles come to an end, enter Saturday’s game tied with Baylor (14-1). The Bears will meet TCU on Saturday in a 1 p.m. tipoff in Fort Worth, Texas.
“It’s just another step toward our goal. I’m excited to play in front of a loud crowd. That’s always fun wherever it is,” Braun said. “I”m excited to be able to compete again in a crazy environment.”
If KU does win Saturday, by the way, it would be win No. 2,300 in school history. KU is 2,299-862 in 122 seasons of basketball. That’s second all-time in victories behind Kentucky (2,318-711).
Following the K-State game, KU will play host to TCU at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Allen.
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 11:23 AM.
