Kansas Jayhawks Ride Perry Ellis To 30-Point Win Over TCU Horned Frogs
By Joel Wagler
Kansas Jayhawks forward
Perry Ellis(34) Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas Jayhawks (19-6, 10-2) were missing a couple of their talented freshmen but that did not perturb Kansas as they blew out the TCU Horned Frogs (9-15, 0-12) in a 95-65 victory Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore forward Perry Ellis had a career day against the Horned Frogs by scoring 32 points on 13 of 15 shooting from the field, including 2 for 2 from 3-point range. He also knocked in all four of his free throw attempts. Ellis also led the team by recording 8 rebounds, and serving up 5 assists in the contest.
The Jayhawks were without freshmen Joel Embiid and Brannen Greene. Embiid sat due to knee and back injuries, and Greene did not play for disciplinary reasons.
Kansas struggled early, especially on defense. Just slightly more than 9 minutes into the game, TCU had 25 points and a 6-point lead. The Horned Frogs made 8 of their first 11, thanks in part to Kansas’ lackadaisical defense.
The Jayhawks warmed up themselves, TCU cooled of a bit, and Kansas finished off the half by outscoring the Horned Frogs, 28-15.
The second was no contest. Coach Bill Self obviously made his point about their poor defense at the intermission. The intensity level and the defense were markedly better over the final twenty minutes.
Kansas Jayhawks forward Jamari Traylor (31)Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Andrew Wiggins tallied 17 points, and Wayne Selden, Jr. added 15 to join Ellis in double figures. Jamari Traylor also set a career high with 10 points, and he tied Ellis with 8 boards off the bench.
The Horned Frogs were paced by Kyan Anderson, who scored 21 in the first half, but was locked down for just 4 points, and only one field goal, after the break. At one point in the first twenty minutes, Anderson scored 19 points out of 21 for TCU. The Kansas defenders stuck to himat all times, not allowing him to break free.
TCU fought hard throughout but they were simply out manned by the deep Jayhawks. Kansas dominated in several areas, including nearly doubling the Horned Frogs rebounding total. Kansas pulled down 35 to TCU’s 18. Kansas also recorded 20 assists and made just 9 turnovers. They forced 17 Horned Frog miscues.
The Jayhawks were smoking hot shooting the ball, hitting 61.3% of their shots. This included a very poor day from behind the arc. Kansas connected on just 5 for 19 from deep for 26.3%.
That means Kansas was 35 for 46 from 2-point range for an incredible 76.1%. Of course, the Horned Frogs had no answer for Kansas around the rim.
Not only did the Jayhawks come out very flat on defense, but they weren’t focused at the charity stripe either. They misfired on their first 6 free throws before settling in and hitting 10 of the last 11 freebies.
Now, Kansas needs to remember how productive they were when they turned up the intensity and defense. It is a simple equation.
Yes, TCU is not a quality opponent, and the Jayhawks should have won easily at home, but they are more talented than most everyone they play. If they can play with that energy and focus they displayed in the second half, few teams could beat them, even if they don’t shoot lights out every night.
Kansas needs to maintain that energy and intensity on Tuesday when they go on the road against a much improved Texas Tech squad. The Red Raiders have already beaten Oklahoma State and Baylor in Lubbock; they would love to add the Kansas Jayhawks to that list.
The Jayhawks have to avoid that scenario at all costs.