Kansas Jayhawks edge Horned Frogs, can claim Big 12 men’s basketball crown on Saturday
Kansas point guard Dajuan Harris, who failed to score a single point while playing 31 minutes against Baylor and 26 against TCU in recent back-to-back road losses, heard a harsh critique of his work during a film session before the Jayhawks’ practice on Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse.
“Coach called me something I didn’t like so I had to show him that I wasn’t that word he called me. That’s all it was,” Harris, KU’s 6-foot-1 sophomore point guard said after bouncing back with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting with three assists, two steals and a huge crunch-time block in a 72-68 victory over the Horned Frogs on Thursday night.
Asked to provide the exact message from KU coach Bill Self, Harris, who played 34 minutes, grinned and said, “No I can’t say it.”
Nor could senior guard Ochai Agbaji, who scored a game-high 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting.
“I couldn’t repeat it either. It was challenging Juan to step up to the plate and that’s exactly what he did,” Agbaji stated in giving his version of Wednesday’s locker-room moment.
A few minutes after taking part in a postgame news conference, Harris provided more details about Self’s challenge while standing on James Naismith Court.
“It was before practice. He called me something that, you know, made me (ticked) off and made me want to play more, show him that’s not what you are,” Harris said. “It was making me motivated. That’s all it was, in front of everybody — players, coaching staff. We’re family here.”
As it turned out, Harris produced some of the biggest plays of Thursday’s victory, one that pushed sixth-ranked KU’s league record to 13-4 and sets up a huge regular-season finale on Saturday. If KU (24-6) defeats Texas in a 3 p.m. Senior Day game at Allen Fieldhouse, it assures itself at least a tie for the Big 12 title. Baylor, also 13-4, will play host to Iowa State at 5 p.m. in Waco, Texas.
First, Harris swished a three-pointer that cut a 49-43 deficit to 49-46 with 13:58 left.
After a Mike Miles bucket, KU’s Joseph Yesufu canned a three. Then, after Damion Baugh scored a bucket, Harris hit a floater and it was 53-51 TCU with 12:51 to play.
Harris also hit an inside shot with 2:39 remaining, giving KU a 69-61 lead over the Horned Frogs (19-10, 8-9), who defeated the Jayhawks by 10 points on Tuesday in Fort Worth, Texas.
Those were some big hoops from Harris, who was 0-for-6 shooting against Baylor and 0-for-3 versus TCU in a pair of losses Saturday and Tuesday.
“I didn’t get onto him for going scoreless. I was getting onto him more, ‘If you are going to go scoreless you better guard,’’’ Self said. “I thought he set the tone (Thursday) right from the start — Ochai offensively, but Juan defensively.”
TCU’s Miles was held to five points on 2-of-12 shooting after scoring 19 points Tuesday on 6-of-14 shooting, some of the points coming when guarded by Harris.
“Miles is a good player,” Self said. “He played through foul issues the second half, but that was a different effort we put on him tonight than what it was Tuesday.”
Harris also came up with a stellar defensive play in the closing moments Thursday night.
TCU trailed just 71-68 after Chuck O’Bannon hit three free throws after he was fouled beyond the arc by KJ Adams.
Joseph Yesufu (three points, 12 minutes) missed an inside shot with 8.7 seconds left — a shot that didn’t hit the backboard and was ruled a shot clock violation. It gave TCU a final possession in which a three could force overtime.
KU elected not to foul. TCU’s Miles, after racing downcourt with Harris on him, did not stop to shoot a possible game-tying three and instead drove to the goal. Harris blocked his layup try with 3 seconds left. Jalen Wilson was fouled on the rebound and hit a free throw for a four-point KU advantage.
“Juan guarded perfectly,” Self said, praising the Columbia, Missouri sophomore.
Harris conceded it was perhaps the best defensive play of his still-young hoops career.
“That was pretty big. That’s probably one of my biggest blocks,” Harris said. “I was waiting for him (Miles) to stop. I was shocked he kept going. When he kept going, I went up and made a play.”
A play, that combined with his offense had Self applauding Harris in the locker room after the victory.
“Of course after the game he said, ‘Good game,’’’ Harris said of his coach. “I know I have to play like that every game. My teammates ... Ochai keeps encouraging me to be aggressive and C.B. (Christian Braun, 12 points, six boards). I have to do it.”
Or as Self said: “When Juan is a threat to score, our offense runs a lot better.”
KU grabbed an early 20-8 lead Thursday, but was unable to bust open the contest. A key moment came when senior Mitch Lightfoot picked up a technical foul, ostensibly for saying something to TCU’s Eddie Lampkin after Lightfoot finished a lob slam dunk to give KU a 26-17 lead with 5:33 left in the half.
TCU hit the two technical foul free throws and went on a 16-7 run to tie the score at 33-33 with 1:15 left in the half.
“We kind of had control of it, Mitch gets a very, what’s the correct word you can use without being negative, a senseless technical,” Self said. “Senseless. It was after the officials warned the two (Lightfoot and Lampkin), ‘If you don’t shut up I’m going to give you a technical.’ That was ridiculous. A nine point lead goes to two, now they have confidence.”
This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 9:17 PM.
