Kansas’ last trip to Fort Worth before NCAAs kicked team into higher gear, Jayhawks say
A loss to TCU two weeks ago in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex did not cost Kansas’ men’s basketball team the Big 12 regular-season title or a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
The 10-point defeat may have, however, served as an important wake-up call to the Jayhawks (28-6), who have won five consecutive games since that 10-point setback entering Thursday’s first-round game against Texas Southern (19-12).
Tipoff is approximately 8:57 p.m. Thursday at Dickies Arena, 3.2 miles from Schollmaier Arena on TCU’s campus, the site of KU’s March 1 defeat to the Horned Frogs.
“I don’t know that any losses are great, but I do think it humbled us. I do think that’s good to have your team humbled from time to time,” KU coach Bill Self said Wednesday.
“It probably put a new emphasis on some things that we need to do to give us the best chance to win — emphasizing making the other team play poorly as opposed to just trying to outscore people. Because if you really followed us the last five games, we haven’t shot the ball near as well as what we had earlier in the year. But we’ve actually played better because we put more of an emphasis on defense and also rebounding the ball defensively. So it’s not like we haven’t emphasized it all year long, but I think the guys are buying in more and more.”
The Jayhawks, of course, are hoping that loss to TCU serves as the last setback of the 2021-22 season. KU is four wins away from a Final Four berth, six from a national title.
“That was a pretty big loss for us. It was just a simple thing of mindset, being prepared,” KU senior forward David McCormack said of KU’s last trip to Fort Worth. “And from there on, we kind of just flipped the switch of being more locked in, being more tenacious, taking pride in the small things that can change the game, making sure that every possession matters. Every little thing that you might think is minuscule in the grand scheme of things makes the grand difference of each game.
“And then from that game on, I think it’s been a four or five-game winning streak, just because we made sure every deflection, every rebound, we made the most of it. And then everything kind of changed the way we thought of the game and we came out with better energy each time.”
It seems Big 12 player of the year Ochai Agbaji spoke up in the locker room after that loss to TCU. His leadership could be cited as a possible reason for the Jayhawks’ late-season surge, especially if they continue to advance in the NCAAs.
“It was mostly Ochai. He came into the locker room (at TCU), and he was like, ‘No, this isn’t how it ends. This is not how it ends,’’’ KU senior guard Chris Teahan said Tuesday night as a guest on former KU forward Landen Lucas’ “The Glue Guys” podcast.
“Ochai was emotional, and I think the fact that everybody saw that part … because that man’s a robot. He goes, he gets his work in, he’s locked in, focused in the games. He doesn’t really show a ton of emotion — I mean, he does every once in a while — but he’s like a steady rock. And to see him get emotional and see him have that sense of urgency, I think everyone kind of looked at themselves and were like, ‘OK yeah. If we’re not going to do it for ourselves, we might as well do it for him. He’s giving it his all. He came back for an extra year. He’s played out of his mind. He cares about us so much.’’’
Self was asked about Agbaji’s role in this year’s tournament.
“What I think he can do to really help us and himself is just be who he is and not try to be more than what that is. What that is is plenty,” Self said. “And he doesn’t need to be a superhero. We’ve got good players around him. He’s just got to be like he was in Kansas City and take what the defense gives him and stay aggressive in all moments and stay positive.
“And even though he didn’t make shots in Kansas City consistently — I think he went six for 18 — shooting a bad number by any stretch, but it wasn’t anything that he’s got to make shots for us to play well. He doesn’t need to feel that. He just needs to be himself.”
The 6-foot-5 Agbaji, who averages 19.7 points per game, scored 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting in the Big 12 Tournament final against Texas Tech, 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting in the semifinals versus TCU and 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting in a first-round win over West Virginia. Combined he did go 6-of-18 from three at T-Mobile Center.
Agbaji scored 13 points on 4-of-17 shooting (3-of-8 from three) in the Jayhawks’ last loss, the TCU game referenced quite a bit in Wednesday’s media availability.
“When we lost that game against TCU, I think we were just too comfortable. Because we had a two-game lead in the league (race) so we were being too comfortable,” said KU sophomore guard Dajuan Harris. “Then we went back after that game, we watched film. Coach got on us. He told us what we needed to do, and then that whole week, until now, until the end of the season we’ve been playing great basketball. We’ve been playing together. Our defense got better. So if we keep doing that and listening to coach and being coachable, then we’ll be good.”
If KU defeats Texas Southern of the SWAC it will meet either San Diego State or Creighton at a yet-to-be-determined time Saturday for a spot in the Sweet 16 in Chicago.
“I think that that loss was tough and it opened our eyes. And in some parts, it was a good thing. And now we’re getting ready to get rolling,” senior guard Remy Martin said.
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Kansas’ last trip to Fort Worth before NCAAs kicked team into higher gear, Jayhawks say."
