KU fans loved Frank Mason and Devonté Graham. This year’s point guard might be better

The shot will be mostly forgotten.

It didn’t come at the end of the game, and it wasn’t the most flashy highlight that happened in Kansas’ 62-58 road victory Saturday over Kansas State.

Still ... one moment best encapsulated the value that Devon Dotson brings to this KU team — and also the reason he makes these Jayhawks so difficult to defend.

Here’s a list of things that were going K-State’s way with 7:25 left in the first half:

• The Wildcats were on a 9-2 run with the home crowd getting back into it.

• After a timeout, they’d successfully slowed down KU’s offense with a soft full-court press to take some time off the shot clock.

• The defense was set and also ready for one of KU’s plays, with K-State’s Cartier Diarra signaling it to teammates and coach Bruce Weber barking out what was about to come from a few steps away.

This KU possession, in other words, was in deep trouble.

Until Dotson single-handedly made sure it wasn’t.

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The KU guard curled around a screen — one that K-State knew was coming — and split a double team. Then he regained his dribble after a long bounce, controlled his body to maneuver around another defender, and while off balance, put some spin on his layup attempt to make sure it went off the backboard and in.

Almost everything went right for the Wildcats on this possession. Only one thing went right for the Jayhawks.

The final result was two points for KU.

It’s the sort of sequence took place time and again Saturday. K-State’s guards pressured out and played physically. The best counter offensively was to have someone who could drive and make his own play.

So Dotson continually lifted KU by himself, scoring 25 points on just 11 field goal attempts.

“I thought that was huge what he did,” KU coach Bill Self said, “because we didn’t really have much going on at all except for him.”

At this point, it’s worth taking a step back to appreciate just what Dotson has accomplished this season.

For a few weeks, he’s continued to lead Ken Pomeroy’s statistical ranking for national player of the year. It’s also worth pointing out Dotson’s consistency, though, as since he missed the game at Oklahoma because of a hip pointer, he’s scored double figures in 13 straight contests.

This hasn’t been talked about much either, but it’s also time to consider that Dotson might be playing at level equal to — or even better — than Frank Mason or Devonté Graham in their final seasons.

The statistical comparison is close.

Dotson has taken on a greater offensive load than either Graham or Mason during their breakthrough years. Also keep in mind that he’s kept up exceptional efficiency in a year when college basketball scoring is down about three points per 100 possessions from Mason and Graham’s era with a shorter three-point line.

Add in Dotson’s excellent steal rate and defensive reputation, and there’s an argument to be made that he’s been the most productive point guard — in a single season — that Self has had at KU.

Earlier this week, Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton lauded KU center Udoka Azubuike, telling him after the game that if he kept his trajectory, he’d be hanging a banner at Allen Fieldhouse one day.

“I’d be hard-pressed to find a better national player of the year candidate than he is,” Boynton said Monday.

K-State coach Bruce Weber had a different belief Saturday, going over to speak to Dotson during warm-ups.

“I told the guy before the game, ‘I’m really proud. You have a chance to become player of the year in the country,’” Weber said. “And he backed it up today.”

Dotson’s plays aren’t always the ones we remember, and often, the important production he gives at the free throw line can be lost when trying to reflect on how a game was won or lost.

I’m with Weber here, though. Marcus Garrett has been great for KU, and Azubuike has moments when he’s defensively dominant.

Dotson, though, has been KU’s most valuable player.

He’s done the most for these Jayhawks — with the least amount of help.

Jesse Newell

The Kansas City Star

816-234-4759

Jesse Newell covered the Chiefs for The Star until August 2025. He won an EPPY for best sports blog and previously was named top beat writer in his circulation by AP’s Sports Editors. His interest in sports analytics comes from his math teacher father, who handed out rulers to Trick-or-Treaters each year.