UConn, NC State and Missouri it was not, so you knew the energy was going to be different on Tuesday night than it had been in the Jayhawks' three most recent games.
And the flow and feel inside Allen Fieldhouse reflected that.
Still, the 17th-ranked Jayhawks did more than enough to roll past Towson, 73-49 in the second-to-last non-conference game of the season.
Flory Bidunga recorded a double-double, Tre White, Bryson Tiller and Melvin Council Jr. reached double figures and KU was simply too much, athletically, physically and talent-wise for Towson to keep up.
The win moved KU to 9-3 overall and the Jayhawks will close out non-con play next Monday vs. Davidson at Allen Fieldhouse, before turning its focus to the Big 12 Conference opener on Jan. 3 at UCF.
Here's a look back and some of Tuesday's action from the Jayhawks' 9th victory of the season.
LIKES
• Everything through Bidunga early - This is exactly how you want your big-time big man to perform in games of this nature. Flex his size and muscle early, use size and athleticism to score at the rim with ease and never let up. That's exactly what KU did with Flory Bidunga in this one, playing through him almost exclusively in the first five minutes of the game and getting 9 early points from the talented sophomore while building an 18-9 lead. Towson had no answer for Bidunga. In the post. On the glass. And as an active player in the paint looking for rebounds and quick dishes from his teammates. Bidunga finished this one with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and 4 turnovers in 27 minutes.
• Triple-double watch for White - He was good in the right spots and as steady as ever, running out to a line of 11 points, 6 rebounds & 4 assists at the 3:46 mark of the first half. Funny enough, those numbers were still there 11+ minutes into the 2nd half, as well. But you can blame at least a couple of White's teammates and their missed shots for some of that. He didn't get the triple-double, of course, but that's hardly the point. The point is that White's early push toward triple-double watch was merely another way to recognize just how valuable he is to this team and how many different ways he can contribute to positive play on the floor. White finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, with 0 turnovers, in 29 minutes.
• Calderon clocks minutes - He didn't do much nor did he play much, but I can't help but think that there might be a game or a few down the road when the Jayhawks want to use Samis Calderon's size, length and athleticism as part of their attack. WIth that in mind, it's good to see him back out there for a little run to see if he's comfortable and able to execute what Kansas wants and needs from him. For the most part, he passed in both areas on Tuesday night, even if there were some missteps and a few moments that didn't look too stellar.
• Rosario 3 finally falls - You could see the relief in Kohl Rosario's entire body after the freshman finally got one to go down late in the game after missing his first four triples of the night. And you have to give him credit for making the play happen. After missing earlier in the possession, he crashed the glass hard to keep the ball with Kansas and, eventually, his teammates found him all alone in front of the KU bench for a 3-pointer that swished through. The bench celebrated appropriately and with great joy and Rosario just dropped his shoulders and did a full-body exhale after seeing one go through again. The former KU starter hadn't made a 3-pointer since Vegas (vs. Tennessee) and is now 10-for-39 from behind the 3-point line on the season.
DISLIKES
• Offensive rebounding an issue - Even when Bidunga was on the floor, but especially when he wasn't. The Jayhawks were out-rebounded 24-20 in the first half — with 12 of those coming on offensive rebounds by Towson — and wound up getting out-rebounded 45-43, with Towson finishing with 22 offensive rebounds on the night. The visitors got back 44% of the shots they missed on a night when they shot 28% from the floor — 19-of-69 overall and 3-for-24 from 3-point range.
• Another game without DP - We knew well before tipoff that Kansas would be without Darryn Peterson again in this one. And, really, if you've been paying attention all along, you probably knew DP wasn't going to play tonight yesterday or perhaps even Saturday or Sunday. It's sort of that broken-record feel with the DP injury right now. KU has played plenty without him and doesn't have to adjust to it any more. But there's no doubt that the fact remains that this team's ceiling isn't nearly as high with Peterson on the bench in street clothes as it is with him on the floor. Here's Self's statement from before the game about Peterson missing this one:
"Darryn experienced cramping in his quad against NC State on Saturday. He is not able to compete at full strength. He will not play tonight against Towson. He will continue to work tirelessly and prepare to compete with his teammates and represent Kansas in the very near future."
When asked at what point the DP situation will start to worry him, Self said after the win that he's been concerned for five weeks, adding, "I'm not worried yet. I'm concerned because this team needs to have an extended period of time together, because it doesn't work like, well he practices for 2 days so he's ready to go."
• Missed opportunity for KU's depth - They got plenty of run, with the Jayhawks' second five playing 72 minutes compared to 124 minutes by the Kansas starters, but they didn't quite perform like Self had hoped. "I thought our bench really struggled tonight, with the exception of Elmarko," Self said. "I thought Elmarko was really solid, but I didn't think our bench was great. I was really hoping they would have a chance to play and get some rhythm and all that stuff." That second five — Jayden Dawson, Kohl Rosario, Elmarko Jackson, Paul Mbiya and Samis Calderon — finished with 9 points on 4-of-17 shooting.
WHAT THE?
• Flory's cross-court passes - Twice in this one — unless I missed another — KU big man Flory Bidunga tried to make a pass across the court from the block or near the paint to the opposite wing and twice those passes got deflected and intercepted by the Towson defense. It's not that the idea was awful. Just the execution. With his height and length, Flory should be able to make those passes — when they should be made — with relative ease. The other option to not getting them picked off is simply not throwing them in the first place. You can't fault the guy for trying to make a play, but there are often easier and certainly more effective ways to do it than what he showed on a couple of occasions Tuesday night.
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