As Kansas waits on Cheick Diallo, Carlton Bragg shines in exhibition opener

Cheick Diallo watched all of Kansas’ exhibition opener from the far side of the Jayhawks’ bench, four seats from the end, a blue warmup covering his lithe 6-foot-9 frame. Three hours earlier, Kansas coach Bill Self had summoned the freshman big man to Allen Fieldhouse and delivered the latest piece of bad news: After a day of meetings, his NCAA eligibility case was not resolved. He would miss the Jayhawks’ opener against Pitt State.

“So, yeah,” Self would say later on Wednesday. “This was the worst day that a coach could have to open a season.”

In the coming days — or who knows, maybe even weeks — Diallo will learn his fate. The NCAA Eligibility Center will finally dole out a ruling on his academic status. Self and a legion of KU faithful will hold their collective breath.

If Diallo is cleared to play, the Jayhawks will forge ahead as Final Four contenders. If not, the Jayhawks risk losing the crown jewel of their recruiting class. The situation has cast a black cloud over this Kansas preseason, and Self has grown increasingly frustrated with the glacial pace of the process.

But as Diallo sat in warmups Wednesday, taking in No. 4 Kansas’ 89-66 victory over Pittsburg State, the night served as a decent reminder to the 16,300 fans at Allen Fieldhouse: The Jayhawks do possess another freshman forward of ample pedigree and prodigious skillset. His name is Carlton Bragg, and he offered a memorable first impression, finishing with 14 points and six rebounds in his unofficial Kansas debut.

“I thought he was great,” Self said. “I thought he was the best player in the game. He played with energy. He played with a smile on his face.”

Bragg is not Diallo, and this is more fact than slight. Bragg, a 6-foot-9 stretch-four, doesn’t offer the same upside as a rim-protector or rebounder, and it may be more difficult to pair him with senior forward Perry Ellis in the frontcourt. But his first performance inside Allen Fieldhouse highlighted an otherwise sluggish exhibition opener. Bragg, who finished 7 of 12 from the floor, showcased his advanced skillset around the basket. He poured in eight points before halftime. And he finished with two emphatic dunks in the final minutes, giving Allen Fieldhouse a reason to celebrate this annual local holiday: the return of basketball season.

“I just wanted to play hard,” Bragg said. “I had a lot of excitement going on, but I just wanted to play my role on the team.”

Earlier in the day, Bragg had calmed his nerves by stopping by the Kansas Student Union and playing the piano that sits in the back corner of the fourth floor. As Bragg played a piano version of Fetty Wap, KU students looked on and Bragg flashed a huge smile. By late Wednesday, the smile remained.

“That’s just my personality,” Bragg said.

As Bragg took advantage of his first run through the Phog, senior forward Perry Ellis looked like his usual self, finishing with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Sophomore guard Devonte’ Graham also filled up the stat sheet, finishing with seven points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

It all took a back seat to Diallo, who continues to wait on the NCAA’s decision. Self spent most of the day in meetings, continuing the dialogue with the NCAA. He did not attend a practice earlier in the day. He did not meet with his team in pregame. Self had hoped that a resolution would come on Wednesday, the day of the Jayhawks’ exhibition opener, and nine days before the regular season opener against Northern Colorado. Instead, the process dragged on for at least another day.

“Not putting any blame or fault on anything,” Self said. “It’s just there (are) a few moving parts, and the NCAA has to follow policy on those parts. It can be a little frustrating.”

For the moment, Self is unsure of any hard deadlines. When asked if Diallo could end up missing regular season games, but still receive a positive ruling, Self mostly shrugged.

“I would like to say that is not possible,” Self said. “But after going through the process, I think anything’s possible.”

He then added: “It’s disappointing that we’re dealing with this Nov. 4.”

Kansas, of course, still had to play a game, and the night began in rather slow and fragmented fashion. The Jayhawks made just one of their first seven shots. The offense appeared disjointed. And when Pitt State snared an offensive rebound and putback with 10:53 left in the half, the Gorillas led 16-14. Seconds later, Self burned a timeout and glared at Ellis with an inquisitive look on his face.

“What is your deal?” Self asked.

As Self stewed, Kansas had been out rebounded 14-7, and the Jayhawks’ offense was a passive enterprise. The slow start left an opening for Pitt State, and the Gorillas hung around, trailing just 25-23 with less than five minutes left in the half.

“From my perspective, it was pretty good,” Self said of the slow start. “Because if we would have made shots, you would get a false sense of who you were. And they exposed us. They were quicker than us. We obviously didn’t guard the ball. We don’t slide very well. And those things are great to be pointed out. ”

Moments later, Wayne Selden broke the seal, drilling the Jayhawks’ first three-point of the game, and the surge began. Brannen Greene followed with another three-pointer. Ellis finally got involved, and Hunter Mickelson pricked Pitt State with a tip-in that gave Kansas its first double-digit lead at 37-27. When freshman Lagerald Vick glided in for a transition layup at the halftime buzzer, the Jayhawks led 46-28, a comfortable cushion after the slow start.

Two days earlier, on Monday afternoon, Self had used the word “bored” to describe his basketball team. The Jayhawks return three starters and a deep nucleus from last year’s team, which claimed an 11th straight Big 12 title before falling to Wichita State in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas had also enjoyed more summer basketball than usual, winning a gold medal at the World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea. The hope, Self said, was that his veteran team just needed something to break the monotony of preseason practice.

At times on Wednesday, the bored description was somewhat apt. The Jayhawks appeared to float on defense and were careless in finishing around the basket.

For stretches, though, you could squint and see the impressive group of parts that could come together over the next five months. Ellis had 16 points during a 16-minute stretch. Frank Mason’s quickness ripped through the Pitt State defense — when he wasn’t in foul trouble. And Mickelson, a senior forward, offered valuable minutes off the bench, adding 10 points and six boards. Then there was Bragg, who was opportunistic, skillful and smiling throughout the night.

“He has some natural instincts that a lot of guys don’t have,” Self said.

For the moment, the Jayhawks are still waiting on Diallo. But they know they have Bragg, and that’s a solid place to start.

“It hasn’t surprised me how well he’s done,” Self said. “And I don’t want to get giddy saying this is the ultimate performance, but he’s been pretty consistently good.”

KANSAS 89

PITTSBURG STATE 66 (exh.)

TableStyle: SP-bkwideplayersCCI Template: SP-bkwideplayers

Percentages: FG .282, FT .731. Three-Point Goals: 7-22, .318 (Holden 4-7, Owens 2-3, Gustafson 1-5, Brinker 0-1, Rollins 0-1, Flynn 0-2, Jones 0-3). Blocked Shots: 1 (Gregory). Turnovers: 11 (Gustafson 3, Jones 2, Brinker 2, Holden, Flynn, Owens, Rollins). Steals: 7 (Gustafson, Holden, Jones, Flynn, Dieng, Owens, Brinker). Fouled Out: Jones.

TableStyle: SP-bkwideplayersCCI Template: SP-bkwideplayers

Percentages: FG .486, FT .577. Three-Point Goals: 4-19, .211 (Ellis 1-1, Selden Jr. 1-3, Greene 1-3, Graham 1-5, Vick 0-1, Mason III 0-3, Mykhailiuk 0-3). Blocked Shots: 9 (Mickelson 4, Bragg Jr. 2, Ellis, Mason III, Greene). Turnovers: 15 (Ellis 4, Mason III 2, Graham 2, Selden Jr. 2, Lucas, Bragg Jr., Traylor, Greene, Mykhailiuk). Steals: 8 (Graham 2, Traylor 2, Ellis, Mason III, Selden Jr., Bragg Jr.). Fouled Out: None.

Half: Kansas 46-28. Att: 16,300. Officials: Gerry Pollard, Terry Oglesby, Pat Boeh.

This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 9:42 PM with the headline "As Kansas waits on Cheick Diallo, Carlton Bragg shines in exhibition opener."