Kansas Basketball: 3 takeaways from Jayhawks win over No. 14 Texas Tech
By Andrew Tineo
3. Kansas best defensive performance of the season
Outside of the Gonzaga game, Kansas has been above average in keeping opponents’ scoring limited. They came into Lubbock with a top 10 nationally ranked defensive rating. They showcased it. Apart from the performances from McClung and Shannon, no other Red Raider on offense was a factor.
Apart from those two, Texas Tech only had 16 points as a team and the leading scorer out of that bunch was Peavy with eight. The defensive ranks justify how good that unit is and how Bill Self’s scheme has started to change. The whole paradigm of the Big 12 has become defensive heavy over the past three seasons.
What used to be dominated by the ACC, is now becoming the Big 12, and Kansas is near the top. Half of the conference ranks top 10 in the nation in defensive efficiency and the Jayhawks guard play was excellent. 2nd Team-All Big 12 Kyler Edwards was shut out and missed all nine of his shot attempts. Even if the forwards did not dominate on offense, they shut down Marcus Santos-Silva as he did not score in the contest.
The offense is still a glaring issue and the Jayhawks will play teams in the conference with better offenses. However, they anchor on defense and it did not fail them Thursday night.
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The slate does not get easier for the Jayhawks as they return home to face #9 West Virginia on Tuesday. Texas Tech will be back in action on Tuesday as well. They will face Oklahoma on the road in Norman.