Doke's the difference as sophomore big man prevents another 'what if'

Eleven days ago a ligament in his left knee sprained and a certain kind of Kansas fan may have gone defeatism. Udoka Azubuike is not the team's best player, but there is a case to be made that he's the most important after Devonte Graham, and Kansas had seen this movie before.

What could've been if Joel Embiid was healthy in 2014?

Or if Cliff Alexander had been able to play in 2015?

Azubuike took his name off the list by providing 22 critical minutes in Kansas' 83-79 win over Seton Hall here on Saturday, earning a spot in the Sweet 16 in Omaha next week.

A simple question: would Kansas have won if Azubuike's knee hadn't healed enough to be what coach Bill Self estimated at 80 percent?

"No," assistant Kurtis Townsend said. "No way."

Townsend was thinking mostly about Seton Hall senior center Angel Delgado, who finished with 24 points and 23 rebounds. Townsend guessed those numbers would've been 40 and 35 without Azubuike. Bill Self's guess was slightly more conservative: 35 and 34.

If that sounds like an exaggeration, consider that Delgado went for 16 points and 15 rebounds in the 18 minutes Azubuike did not play. Do the math over the 38 minutes Delgado went, and you get 34 points and 32.

Here's another thing that's true: when Azubuike was on the court, KU was 21 points better than Seton Hall. When he was on the bench, KU was 17 points worse.

Heck, the question should not have been whether KU could've won without Azubuike. The question is whether it could've prevented a blowout, and the answer might've been the same.

"Doke was the MVP," Self said. "He Willis Reed-ed it a little bit."

Azubuike's numbers are good enough: 10 points on five shots, with seven rebounds and two blocks.

But you could not watch this game without knowing Azubuike changed it in a fundamental, undeniable way. Seton Hall is one of the nation's stronger teams, and one of its best on the glass. Kansas is already light on depth inside. Without Azubuike, it's a potential fatal flaw against muscle like Seton Hall.

He scored on his own, and by rolling to the basket for lobs. Azubuike was the biggest man on either team, negating much of what Seton Hall depends upon for one of the country's more efficient offenses. He wasn't moving as well as he had before the injury, but he did appear more mobile and comfortable than his short action on Thursday.

His presence changed how both teams played, on both ends of the court. Delgado is wide — 6-foot-10 and 245 pounds — but he's below the rim, meaning he's more bothered than most guys his size by a bigger body. When KU had the ball, Seton Hall had to guard the paint, which opened shots from the perimeter and drives to the basket.

Svi Mykhailiuk said he knew Azubuike was good to go at practice on Friday, but Azubuike said he needed an early dunk to know for sure.

"It felt like my legs were stuck to the ground," he said. "But after that I felt good."

Malik Newman led Kansas with 28 points, but Azubuike was the single biggest reason KU was able to survive an off night by Devonte Graham, who hit just one of seven shots.

Kansas has enough shooting and offense to make up for an off night from one, but without Azubuike it does not have enough size to be much of a deterrent against a a team like Seton Hall.

That was particularly true on this night, with KU's other bigs — Mitch Lightfoot and Silvio De Sousa — largely ineffective and overwhelmed by Seton Hall's strength.

Self described the game as too physical for Lightfoot, and too heavy on execution for De Sousa, who was playing a high school tournament in Florida three months ago.

Kansas is the kind of basketball program that is expected in the Sweet 16. The money and advantages and facilities are just too much for any other reality, so none of this will move the needle much, and it's also true Kansas is catching some breaks.

Azubuike's injury could've been worse, Graham said he blacked out after a collision in the first half but passed the concussion test, and a series of sloppy plays in the final minutes could've turned the outcome around.

But luck is a fundamental part of this tournament, of course, and Kansas has been on the other side of that, too. Opponents hitting shots, important players suffering horribly-timed injuries. Both sides of this have been part of KU's postseason story.

This weekend did not hide the Jayhawks' flaws, either. They're thin inside, need transition buckets, and often struggle for stops.

"We've got to rebound the ball defensively," Self said. "Or (a loss) is going to happen."

The standards are higher for the Jayhawks, and the second weekend is when their memorable seasons are separated from the rest.

But context matters, too. This tournament will always be remembered for the first victory by a No. 16 seed, and the Jayhawks have been through this before.

In the last eight years, their season has ended in the NCAA tournament's first weekend twice. Each time, a post player they planned on to varying degrees watched from the bench.

This could have been the third. Azubuike played through the pain, against a brutal matchup, ensuring there would be no what ifs this time.

This story was originally published March 17, 2018 at 8:49 PM with the headline "Doke's the difference as sophomore big man prevents another 'what if'."