Kansas Basketball: 2020-21 takeaways from home win over West Virginia
Kansas took great shots in both halves
From the very beginning of the game, Kansas prioritized taking the best shots available and making West Virginia’s defense work hard on a consistent basis. The Jayhawks were able to find David McCormack early in the contest, and the results that followed were exactly what the Jayhawks wanted.
McCormack took advantage of two scoring opportunities at the rim, and when he caught the ball on the right block and was double-teamed right away, he intelligently kicked the ball out to Marcus Garrett who confidently stepped into an open three-point jumper. When Kansas’ guards weren’t getting the ball inside to McCormack, they were getting into the paint, forcing one of West Virginia’s defenders to help off their man, and then hitting an open teammate.
Even when guys like Jalen Wilson and Christian Braun received the ball on one of the wings, and had a defender right in front of them, they were able to rise up and take high-percentage threes, because they did not have to deal with a hand in their face. When the Mountaineers elected to throw a 2-3 zone at the Jayhawks, Kansas handled it with great poise and patience, and continuously picked it apart.
Most of their success had to do with the fact that the guards knew when to get the ball into the high post, and when to hold onto the ball and continue to attack the two defenders at the top of the zone. When the ball did reach the high post, the player that was occupying that space (who was normally David McCormack) did a great job of quickly getting the ball over to the opposite side of the floor, and giving his teammates countless chances to be effective from behind the arc.
Additionally, when guys like David McCormack and Jalen Wilson caught the ball in the short corner and were double-teamed they did not panic and found ways to distribute the ball to players who had space to operate. In short, if you really want to know how to dissect a 2-3 zone, you should go back and watch Tuesday’s game between Kansas and West Virginia, because the Jayhawks showed that it is possible to get great looks on each offensive possession if you attack the gaps in the zone.
The Jayhawks’ overall shot selection on Tuesday was superb, and although their field goal percentage wasn’t as high as some people probably wanted it to be (44.4%), they played the game the right way and didn’t give in to the temptation of forcing shots that aren’t available.