Kansas Basketball: 3 takeaways from win over Kentucky in Champions Classic

Outmatched in the paint

Gethro Muscadin and David McCormack are the only Jayhawks who are over 6’8″ and the 6’10 Muscadin will be fortunate to get over five minutes per game. As Head Coach Bill Self is only playing six guys any substantial minutes, the bulk of responsibility in the paint falls on the shoulders of 6’8″ and 215-pound Jalen Wilson, as McCormack logs under 20 minutes with the amount of time Bill Self employs a four-guard lineup.

Such was the case Tuesday night versus Kentucky when the Wildcats built up a 13-point lead in the first half. Regardless that the Jayhawks won the game while outrebounding the Wildcats 47-43, winning does solve a lot of problems, but not everything is okay in the paint for Kansas.

The big reason Kansas had so much success is that Kentucky big man Olivier Sarr was hampered by foul trouble and was only able to log 14 minutes. With Sarr’s minutes limited, Jalen Wilson was able to score ten of his twenty-three points inside the charge area. The final score says Kansas, but how it happened should still be concerning.