Kansas Basketball: How to win the Battle of the Bluebloods
By Shaun Gordon
Rebounding
This may sound like a broken record, since Kansas’s need for rebounding has been noted before, but it’s even more important against Duke.
The Jayhawks are a middling team when it comes to rebounding. The Blue Devils, however, are one of the best teams on the boards in the country. They’re fourth in rebounds per game and fifth in rebounding margin.
If Kansas allows a dangerous Duke offense to take more shots, then they’ll be in for a long night.
Looking at the tournament so far, the Jayhawks have had mixed results on the boards. They outrebounded Penn handily, running away with that win in the second half.
Seton Hall outrebounded Kansas by seven. The Pirates took eight more shots than the Jayhawks did, allowing them to keep the game close even though Kansas was shooting lights out.
Rebounds were pretty even against Clemson. It was the Jayhawks’ best game on the boards in the tournament so far, allowing them to pull out the four-point win.
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But none of the teams that Kansas has faced so far are anywhere near as good on the boards as Duke.
And when two elite offenses face off, the margin for error is razor-thin.
If the Blue Devils dominate the boards and get more scoring opportunities, it’ll be game…and season…over for the Jayhawks.