KU basketball’s rotation is down to seven. Bill Self thinks it’s working
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bill Self shortened Kansas rotation to seven players and reports improved play.
- Even so, Jayden Dawson and reserves provided timely offense; Rosario saw limited minutes.
- KU aims to sustain wins on road vs. Colorado after two Allen Fieldhouse victories.
Bill Self has shortened the Kansas men’s basketball rotation to basically seven players the past two games — home victories over Iowa State and Baylor.
“The way that I see it right now, we’re playing better playing less guys,” Self, KU’s 23rd-year coach, said after Friday’s 80-62 victory over the Bears.
Melvin Council Jr., Darryn Peterson, Tre White, Bryson Tiller and Flory Bidunga started the contest against the Bears. Jamari McDowell and Elmarko Jackson were key reserves off the bench.
An eighth player, Jayden Dawson, totaled six minutes. Kohl Rosario, a key member of the rotation a majority of the season, played the last 1:45 after the result had been decided.
In Tuesday’s 84-63 home win over Iowa State, Self went with seven players total. Dawson and Rosario did not play.
If Self sticks with a seven-man rotation, Rosario’s chances of playing time could be limited during Tuesday’s game at Colorado. Tipoff for the Big 12 battle between the Jayhawks (13-5, 3-2) and Buffs (12-6, 2-3) is 10 p.m. Central with a live broadcast on ESPN.
“Not being negative, but if our rotation is seven, if Elmarko and Jamari are playing well … and then when ‘Mari got his second foul (vs. Baylor) we put Jayden (Dawson) in and that turned out to be a good thing,” Self stated.
Dawson, who has not been part of the regular rotation since Game 6 of the nonconference campaign, drilled a 3-pointer to give KU a 39-37 lead with 1:27 left in the first half versus the Bears.
That Dawson bucket was crucial considering Baylor had rallied from a 19-4 deficit to take the lead late in the half.
“That was maybe the biggest shot of the game because we were down when he made the shot. He stepped in and stuck it,” Self said of senior guard Dawson, who scored three points on 1-of-4 shooting with one steal in six minutes versus the Bears. “So yes, I thought it was great to see Jayden get in there and knock one down.”
As far as the playing time of Rosario … he played 14 or more minutes in the Jayhawks’ first eight games of the nonconference season, including a season-high 26 minutes versus Duke. After totaling 16 minutes combined against UConn, Missouri and North Carolina State, the 6-foot-6, 200-pound Miami, Florida native played 17 minutes against Towson, 19 against Davidson, then 19 in the Big 12 opener against UCF.
Since logging eight minutes in an overtime win over TCU and four in a loss at West Virginia, Rosario has been omitted from the rotation the past two contests.
“I want everybody to play, but the bottom line is we’ve got to win games,” Self said. “The nonconference (gives) opportunities for guys to have a chance to kind of earn their way.
“Kohl’s got the best attitude and everything. And by no means are we giving up on him,” Self added, stressing Rosario is definitely “part of our future.”
That said, Self affirmed KU “is performing better, I think, with the shorter rotation.”
Rosario averages 4.2 points (on 40.9% shooting; 13-of-51 from 3 for 25.5%) and 1.6 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per contest. Active on the defensive end, he has seven steals in 17 games (six starts).
Dawson, a 6-5 transfer from Loyola Chicago, has averaged 2.8 points on 32.5% shooting while logging 11.2 minutes a game in 14 games. Dawson has made 8 of 30 3s for 26.7%. He has 11 assists to two turnovers.
“I thought we played with great intensity. I thought our execution was better than it was against Iowa State. I really thought we moved the ball,” Self said of the seven-man effort against Baylor.
“What did we have, four turnovers (to Baylor’s 11)? And the ball moved for the most part. When we didn’t score in the first half, we got the ball to the cup. I actually thought we got the ball where it needed to go for the most part — on most possessions. I do think we’re getting better as far as guys just playing. I think the ball has moved better,” Self added.
The Jayhawks head to Colorado on a two-game winning streak. However, the two games were in the comforts of Allen Fieldhouse. KU is 0-2 in the league in road games entering the late, late game on Tuesday.
“I feel like as we continue to keep playing with each other, we’ll continue to keep jelling and see these type of games,” soph guard Jackson said after the Baylor game.
“Beating the No. 2 team and beating a very good Baylor team is definitely something that’s going to put us in the right direction, and we’ve just got to continue to build off of it,” said freshman forward Tiller. “I mean it’s all about the mentality that we came in with (in two home wins in one week). We had a good couple of practices after the Iowa State game, but we just wanted to continue to dominate and communicate very well. Just check all the boxes that we have for the game.”
