Why the Kansas Jayhawks regained belief in themselves after Saturday’s win vs. Arizona
The Kansas men’s basketball team desperately needed a game like Saturday’s.
It was a game where Kansas didn’t melt down in the clutch against a conference foe.
KU defeated No. 24 Arizona 83-76 on Senior Day at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas coach Bill Self was relieved postgame.
“We needed that bad,” Self said. “We needed our best player to carry us and we needed everybody else to play well — really well — and that’s exactly what happened.”
The win extended KU’s Senior Day/Night win streak to 42 games. More importantly, it was the best Kansas has looked in a while.
Kansas guard Zeke Mayo had his best game in weeks, finishing with 20 points, six assists and zero turnovers. He was averaging four turnovers per game in the four games before Saturday.
KU finished with only five turnovers, which was a welcome sight after turning the ball over 20 times vs. Houston.
“It starts with our guards — myself, I’ve been turning the ball over at an alarming rate,” Mayo said. “That’s been an emphasis for me. Juan (Harris) does a great job of taking care of the ball, he had nine assists and one turnover. So that’s just terrific.
“... It all comes down to not forcing things, not playing hesitant and like KJ (Adams) said, staying aggressive.”
The Jayhawks frequently used the term “aggressive” to describe why their late-game execution was better than in recent home losses.
It’s precisely what Kansas must be in Big 12 and NCAA Tournament play. KU’s slow starts and hesitation could be the difference between advancing or going home.
Self credited KU’s aggressive play against Arizona, believing it helped build confidence throughout the game. After all, Kansas was tested at various times against the Wildcats and didn’t fold.
That’s notable because this season hasn’t exactly gone to plan for the preseason No. 1-ranked Jayhawks. Kansas has gone 13-11 since the start of December and is unranked.
Ultimately, KU’s margin of error isn’t as big as anyone expected.
“I think the frustrating thing for me and for others is that we’ve seen the best, and when we drop a level, I think it’s not really understandable as to why,” Self said. “When in large part, that’s kind of who we are. And seeing today what we are, if guys are at 90% as opposed to 75%, there’s a big difference. So we have no option but to be 90%. If we’re that, we can play with anybody.”
Along those lines, Saturday’s win comes at the perfect time, with the Big 12 Tournament up next.
Mayo certainly believes the Jayhawks can make a deep run into March.
“We believe that we have the most talented roster in the country,” Mayo said. “We have the best coaching staff in the country, so all it takes is just a belief from every guy down the line who’s involved in this program to go on a run here.
“We strongly believe we can do it. All it takes is a few games in the Big 12 Tournament, and that momentum can shift drastically going into the NCAA (Tournament).”
