Improved free throw shooting a priority for Kansas Jayhawks’ Christian Braun
After a 4-for-8 effort against Oklahoma and 2-for-4 showing against Texas over the last two games, Christian Braun plans on spending some time practicing free throws in the hours leading up to Monday’s Big 12 men’s basketball matchup against Oklahoma State.
Tipoff is 8 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse (ESPN).
“I’ve got to get in the gym,” Braun, Kansas’ 6-foot-7 junior guard out of Blue Valley Northwest, said Saturday after scoring 18 points with eight rebounds and three blocked shots in the Jayhawks’ 71-69 victory over Oklahoma at Allen Fieldhouse.
“I’ve got to take accountability, do better myself,” Braun added of connecting on free throws.
He’s made 76.7% of his free throws on the season, 67.4% in conference games.
“There are times you can close people out (if team hits free throws). That’s two games in a row we’ve struggled with it. (But) we got a win. That’s what’s important,” Braun added of KU claiming victory against OU despite going 6-of-12 from the line the last minute and a half.
Kansas hit 13 of 23 free throws (to OU’s 8 of 11) in Saturday’s narrow victory. On Monday, KU went 15-of-23 from the line compared to Texas’ 20-of-23 in a 79-76 loss to the Longhorns in Austin, Texas.
“What were we from the free throw line the last 1:30? Do you know? We were 3-of-our-last-10 or something,” KU coach Bill Self said after the narrow victory over the Sooners..
“We shot it horribly from the line and (they were) actually our best free throw shooters (taking them),” Self added.
In Big 12 play, KU has made 71% of its free throws. Heading into Saturday’s game, the Jayhawks’ free throw percentage in the last five minutes and overtime of games was a solid 79.4% (77-of-97).
Free throw shooting hasn’t been KU’s only problem the last two games. The team has struggled setting screens on offense, 19th-year KU coach Self said after Saturday’s game.
“We’ve got to become better screeners. This is the worst screening team, I think I have ever been around. We never touch anybody,” Self said. “Zach (Clemence, freshman forward) actually screened late but David (McCormack, senior forward) and Mitch (Lightfoot, senior forward) and KJ (Adams, freshman forward) they definitely don’t enjoy body contact when they are on offense, so we need to do a better job there.
“Zach actually screened. He got us a basket when he screened one time. We’ve got to get better at that, especially for Ochai (Agbaji).”
Agbaji, KU’s senior guard out of Oak Park High School, hit 3 of 12 shots, good for 11 points versus Oklahoma. He made 4 of 7 shots and scored 11 points Monday against Texas. He was 2-of-2 from the line against Texas and 3-of-5 versus OU.
“I think that Ochai was pressing a little bit. Ochai had a good game, he just didn’t make shots and you have to work your butt off to get them the way they were playing him,” Self said. “They played Ochai the same way we played Gibson and Gibson got 0 (points). We did a good job on a guy that just got 30.”
Agbaji was KU’s primary defender on OU senior guard Umoja Gibson, who scored 30 points in the Sooners’ 15-point victory over Texas Tech on Monday.
Braun said the Jayhawks can do a better job of freeing Agbaji for shots, even when he’s faceguarded.
“We’ve got to set more screens to get him open. We’ve got to do a better job getting Ochai shots,” Braun said. “That’s what is best for our team when Ochai shoots the ball. When we do that it’s tough for a team to chase him around.”
The Jayhawks (20-4, 9-2) on Monday night will be playing an Oklahoma State team (12-12, 5-7) that is coming off an 81-58 win over West Virginia on Saturday in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Seven-footer Moussa Cisse and guard Avery Anderson scored 18 points apiece for OSU.
KU defeated OSU, 74-63, on Jan. 4 at Gallagher-Iba Arena. That game was tied 29-29 at halftime. The Jayhawks rolled 45-34 in the final half. McCormack scored 17 points, Agbaji 16 and Braun 15 for KU. Senior guard Isaac Likekele had 16 points for OSU.
“They are the most athletic team in the league,” Self said of Mike Boynton’s OSU squad. “When we played them the first time, they were coming off a COVID pause and we still went nine minutes without scoring. Even though we won the game going away, we’ve got to be better than what we were today and certainly think we are capable of that”
KU concluded the weekend in first place in the Big 12 standings. The Jayhawks are 9-2, followed by Baylor (9-3), Texas Tech (8-4), Texas (7-5), TCU (5-5), OSU and Kansas State (5-7), Oklahoma (4-8), West Virginia (3-8) and Iowa State (3-9).
This story was originally published February 13, 2022 at 12:48 PM.
