Mitch Lightfoot scores career-high 15 points as Kansas Jayhawks reach Big 12 final
Kansas backup power forward Mitch Lightfoot, who has scored almost all of his 164 points within a few feet of the basket this season, attempted his first three-point shot of the 2021-22 campaign Friday night at T-Mobile Center.
It went in ... and in fact gave KU an 18-point lead with 12 minutes remaining in a 75-62 Big 12 Tournament semifinal victory over TCU at T-Mobile Center.
“I was feeling it. I had to shoot something,” Lightfoot, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound Gilbert, Arizona native, said with a smile after scoring a career-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting with five rebounds, two blocks and two steals in a victory that propelled the No. 1 seed Jayhawks (27-6) into Saturday’s 5 p.m. championship game against third-seeded Texas Tech.
“I talked to my dad last night about it. He was like, ‘Why don’t you just shoot one because they don’t ever guard you?’ I was feeling good … I was excited it went in, I was excited to help the guys win.”
Lightfoot entered the game with 12 career three-point baskets in 38 attempts.
“I don’t know,” Lightfoot said, asked why he’d not taken a three in 2021-22 prior to the TCU game. “I don’t think the team needed it. We have so many great shooters. Being able to get them shots is a better look for us. It just so happened tonight I was feeling it and they left me open so I was glad to be able to make it. Other guys shooting them are probably going to get a better look.”
Lightfoot on Friday fired up a second three just a few possessions after his first attempt.
It barely missed.
“I’m not going to lie. I thought the second one was down,” said Lightfoot, who played 25 minutes to starting big man David McCormack’s 13 minutes Friday. McCormack had five points and two boards. “I thought the free-throw jumper (his only other miss Friday) was down, too. It was one of those nights I felt everything was going in.”
Lightfoot also was instrumental in KU’s 87-63 quarterfinal victory over West Virginia on Thursday.
He scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting with five blocked shots (one off a career high) and five rebounds, meaning he has a chance of making the 2022 all-tournament team, especially if KU wins the event.
“Being able to protect the rim is important to me,” Lightfoot said. “I’ve got to do that. I’ve got to rebound better.”
KU was outrebounded by TCU, 36-26.
Lightfoot once against delivered close to the goal for the Jayhawks. He deposited multiple jump hooks Thursday as well as Friday.
“Over one shoulder he’s automatic,” said senior guard Agbaji, who scored 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting versus the Horned Frogs. One of Agbaji’s baskets was a rim-rattling dunk off a pass from Dajuan Harris.
“Mitch has become an offensive weapon for us,” coach Bill Self said.
Lightfoot — his old career high in scoring was 14 points against George Mason earlier this season and against Omaha in 2020 — said practice with KU’s fellow big men and big man coach Norm Roberts has helped him perfect his jump hook.
“We go big/little (at practice). Do that a billion times, do it six years and you should be able to shoot it (jump hook) without looking at it,” Lightfoot said.
What is big/little?
“Guards go down on one end and work on guard stuff (at practice). Big guys work on big guy stuff on the other end. It starts out with a bunch of jump hooks, right hand, left hand, quick moves, tough shots. Things that happen in a game we work on to make ourselves better,” Lightfoot said.
As far as the other play that had a pro-KU crowd buzzing ... Agbaji’s dunk gave KU a 69-50 lead with 8 minutes left.
Which was better, Lightfoot’s three or that dunk?
“His lob for sure,” Lightfoot said. “(Are you) kidding me? Anybody can hit a three. I don’t think anybody else can jump 12 1/2 feet in the air to dunk that.”
KU has reached the Big 12 Tournament finals for the first time since since 2019. The event was called off in 2020 because of the pandemic. In 2019, the Jayhawks defeated Texas and West Virginia and lost to Iowa State in the title game. KU last won the Big 12 tourney title in 2018.
For KU on Friday, Remy Martin scored 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting in 19 minutes. Christian Braun finished with nine points and six boards and Jalen Wilson nine points and five assists. Chuck O’Bannon had 15 points and seven boards and Mike Miles 14 points for TCU.
Agbaji scored 13 points, Braun seven and Lightfoot six the first half as the Jayhawks led, 44-30 at the break. Miles had eight and Lampkin seven for TCU, which trailed Texas by 18 points at halftime in its quarterfinal win over the Longhorns on Thursday.
Down 9-7 early, KU went on 11-0 run that included two baskets from Lightfoot an Agbaji jam off a lob from Martin, a Braun three and a Wilson two. KU led 18-9 KU at 12:20.
The Jayhawks led, 44-25, with 1:15 left in the half. TCU outscored the Jayhawks, 5-0, to cut the gap to 14. KU had the lead at a comfortable 20 points (72-52) with 6:10 to play.
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 8:07 PM.
