LAWRENCE, KS – Today, #4 Houston goes into hostile Allen Fieldhouse for a war with #8 Kansas. Both programs live for games like this, and as of Saturday morning, the game is a pick ’em. Kansas has more offensive threats, while Houston has better defenders. Possessions will be crucial, and the team that wastes more will probably lose.

the daily #183 | 2/3/2024 | Archives

Kansas Personnel

(* Indicates probable starters)

*#1 Hunter Dickinson 7’2″ Sr. – 19ppg, 11rpg, 1bpg (Michigan)

LEFTY;
Head of the Snake;
Very skilled post player;
Double-double machine. Has 12 double-doubles in 21 games;
Great rebounder on both ends. He’s #5 in the nation in rebounds per game with 11.2;
Loves the outlet pass to push transition-offense;
Elite scorer. Ranked #42 nationally in FG% at 59.22%, which is impressive since he can step out and shoot from distance;
Tough in the post (especially going to left hand);
Really good mid-range shooter;
Strong three-point shooter.

*#15 Kevin McCullar Jr. 6’7″ Gr. – 20ppg, 6rpg (Texas Tech)

Long/athletic wing;
Elite three-level scorer. #32 in the nation in points per game at 19.8;
Good three-point shooter. Best in the corner;
Great at attacking the rim with his right hand;
Will play him in the post if he has a mismatch;
Draws a ton of fouls and has attempted 131 FTs, which is 40th in the nation. He’s 108/131 on the season;
Has two triple-doubles this season;
Missed the Oklahoma State game with a bruised knee but is expected to start today.

#3 DaJuan Harris Jr. 6’2″ RS Sr. – 7ppg, 2rpg, 7apg

Elite point guard;
OUTSTANDING passer. Always has his eyes on the rim (#8 in the nation with 6.9 apg);
Really good driver;
Deadly scorer in the paint;
Solid three-point shooter.

*#24 KJ Adams Jr. 6’7″ Jr. – 13ppg, 5rpg

Long/extremely athletic wing;
Ranked #11 nationally in FG%, shooting 63.43% (tons of dunks and shots close to the rim);
Can jump out of the gym;
Best when using his athleticism to get to the rim;
Not a great shooter outside of the paint;
Zero made three-pointers this year (0/2); Don’t chase him around out there;
Very poor free-throw shooter.

*#10 Johnny Furphy 6’9″ Fr. – 8ppg, 4rpg.

Long/athletic forward;
Very athletic;
Really good three-point shooter;
Solid at attacking off the bounce;
Galen Robinson said on CATS he loves this guy. Take note.

#23 Parker Braun 6’10” Gr. – 3ppg, 2rpg (Missouri/Santa Clara)

Long/athletic forward;
Doesn’t shoot a ton of three-pointers, but is capable;
Sneaky athletic.

#13 Elmarko Jackson 6’3″ Fr. – 5ppg, 1rpg.

Back-up guard and started the OK State game with McCullar out;
Three-level scorer;
Solid three-point shooter;
Good mid-range shooter;
Capable of driving to the basket.

#25 Nicolas Timberlake 6’4″ Gr. – 4ppg, 2rpg (Towson)

Back-up shooting guard;
Solid three-point shooter.

#11 Jamari McDowell 6’4″ Fr. – 2ppg, 1rpg

Usually the last rotation player off the bench;
Houston kid (Manvel High School);
Solid driver to the basket;
Capable three-point shooter;

Keys to Victory

Slow down Dickinson and McCullar. Easier said than done, right? These two guys combine to average 38 points per game. You’re not going to be able to stop them completely, but if you can keep them both below their averages and not allow any of the “lesser known, but still very talented players” to go off, then you give yourself a better chance of winning.
Create extra scoring opportunities. Houston has won their last two road games because excellent offensive-rebounding has led to more scoring chances. It will be critical to create extra chances via offensive rebounding and turnovers. KU does a pretty good job of taking care of the ball on offense, so the key today will be to crash the offensive boards.
Get them in foul trouble and get into their bench. We all know that they don’t have a great bench. UCF was able to pull the upset, because they got Dickinson in foul trouble early in the second half. If you can get one or two of their key players in foul trouble, they will really struggle.
Communication on defense. They do a phenomenal job of moving the ball on offense to create open shots. They are the best team in the nation in creating assists. It will be crucial to communicate on rotations to limit wide open shots. The Coogs went away from blitzing on screens vs BYU and may do it again on Saturday.
Basketball is a game of runs. Limit their runs. No matter how a game starts, there will be opportunities for the other team to make a run and even the score. You can never get too high or too low. Limit their runs. Get multiple stops on defense in a row. Use every 4 minute period like a mini game and see where you are in the last media timeout.