29 February 2024
LAWRENCE (KSNT) – There was plenty for Jayhawk fans to be frustrated with after Tuesday night’s 76-68 loss to BYU.
It was KU’s first home loss of the season and one that came despite a 12-point second half lead.
Head Coach Bill Self saw many things he didn’t like.
“We hoped to score and [BYU] actually ran offense to score,” Self said in the postgame press conference. “Give them credit. They caused us to look bad and they were successful.”
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The Cougars, who shoot more 3-pointers than any other team in the Big 12 by a significant margin, stuck to their usual game plan. They took 34 triples and made 13 of them.
“Our switches weren’t good, our scouting report defense wasn’t good,” Self said. “…There’s a lot of things that we could’ve done better.”
Perhaps more concerning than a lack of executing the game plan on Tuesday was a leadership issue, Self said. The Jayhawks were without senior wing Kevin McCullar Jr., who continues to heal from a knee injury, and felt his absence in more than production on the stat sheet.
Self was asked who needs to step up as leaders without McCullar active.
“I would say it’s got to be [Dajuan Harris Jr.], KJ [Adams Jr.] and [Hunter Dickinson], without question” Self said. “But tonight I don’t know that we had anybody.”
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Self said Harris showed some flashes of leadership in the loss, but attributed it to the fact that he controls the ball most often. He called KJ Adams the best player in the first half but admitted Dickinson didn’t have his best night.
It was the response, perhaps mentally, from his leaders which the long-time KU coach didn’t like.
“I actually saw some things with guys frustration that really wasn’t as mature as what we should have considering the age of some of our guys,” Self said. “There wasn’t as much a thinking ‘next play’ as there was thinking ‘last play’ and that’s not a good sign.”
As for when the Jayhawks could get McCullar back, Self doesn’t have the answer.
“We’ve been dealing with this for, I’d say five weeks, where he hasn’t been himself from a health standpoint and even when he played he wasn’t himself,” Self said, before implying there is a possibility McCullar is done for the season. “We’re not counting on [him returning.] We hope it could happen but we’re certainly not banking on it.”