Kansas Basketball: Sustaining high scoring important factor in Big 12 play

If Kansas basketball has its eyes on another Big 12 title, they will need to retain some of the action we’ve seen on the court early on.

In a season unlike any we’ve ever seen, Kansas basketball will likely face some adversity during conference play this year. We’ve seen impressive showings from programs such as Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech, and West Virginia.

Having Kansas higher on your lists for teams likely to capture the conference isn’t a long shot. The Jayhawks have had an excellent scoring presence over the last couple of weeks. Kansas has averaged at least 65 points per game in their previous seven contests.

If the Jayhawks want to put their conference companions in their place, it starts with not letting up the throttle on offense. Getting the ball in ‘sharpshooters’ Christian Braun and Jalen Wilson will likely be seen often, as excising their talent from the perimeter tends to build large leads for the Jayhawk offense.

We should also expect to see some more action from Marcus Garrett, who has been subtle in the last few games. Garrett has only a combined 20 points in his last three starts. Garrett however is an excellent defender, who has been very reliable for Kansas when holding the outside line.

Another upperclassman, Ochai Agbaji has also been making appearances on the scene. Agbaji, a junior, found some solid action against Omaha with 18 points on the evening. Having Agbaji healthy and ready to go is a vital strength to the Kansas offense going into these tougher conference tests.

Defensively, the Jayhawks have been picking up the pace but have had trouble resisting the inside attack. This issue seemed to plague the Jayhawks in their narrow win at home over Creighton. When it comes to the bigger guys, Kansas simply doesn’t have the size to cover pressure at the basket.

Closing in harder will be a definite talking point throughout practices as this season moves forward, and I’m sure it will be addressed thoroughly before head coach Bill Self travels with his Jayhawks down to Lubbock to face the No. 17 Red Raiders.

Kansas will have a tough time containing some of the larger threats the Big 12 has to offer. It will be interesting to see how the Jayhawks combat dominant forwards Marcus Santos-Silva of Texas Tech and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua of Baylor.

Working around the issues inside, Kansas should remain a dominant scoring force within the conference. Keeping the starting five healthy and avoiding unnecessary mistakes will be crucial for the Jayhawks moving forward. It’s safe to say that Kansas fans will be keeping their eyes on the defense for the remainder of the season.