Kansas Basketball: 3 keys to a much-needed victory versus NC State

Kansas Basketball is set to host last year’s Final Four Cinderella, the NC State Wolfpack, as part of a home-and-home series on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 2:15 p.m. CT in Lawrence, Kansas, on ESPN. The Jayhawks, coming off of back-to-back losses to Creighton and Missouri, desperately need to regain their footing before Big 12 play arrives. Meanwhile, NC State -- after three-straight losses to Purdue, BYU, and Texas -- utilized a late second-half flurry to survive Florida State in OT and are coming off a 66 to 56 win over Coppin State on Tuesday.

Take a look at three keys for a Jayhawks victory as it searches to find its momentum once again.

1. Find its touch from the perimeter 

Among the biggest culprits in Kansas’ recent shortcomings has come from the perimeter. In its losses to Creighton and Missouri, Kansas mustered an average of 65 points and shot 8-23 from three in both games. Although it’s not a dreadful percentage, it’s far from the expectations in Lawrence, especially considering its potential firepower from behind the arc. NC State poses a challenge for the Jayhawks, holding its opponents to 27.% from three. Kansas must find its touch early to win the perimeter battle on Saturday.

2. Bench Production

Relative to its preseason expectations, it's safe to say its transfer portal haul has failed to deliver throughout its nine-game sample size, especially off the bench. AJ Storr -- among the top transfer portal additions this offseason -- has struggled to find consistency. Rylan Griffen only saw 13 minutes in its loss to Missouri after missing the Creighton game with the flu.

For a team that addressed its depth issues from last season, its bench has scored only 20 points combined in its past two games. Not exactly a recipe for success. The bench must get going -- and get going early -- if it wants to get a comfortable victory on Saturday.

3. Attack NC State's bigs early

KU hasn’t been good at getting to the free-throw line, attempting only 13.2 free-throw attempts per game, among the lowest numbers in NCAA basketball. However, Saturday spells the perfect recipe to change that. Taking out NC State’s two bigs early -- Ben Middlebrooks (who is prone to fouls) and Brandon Huntley Hatfield -- not only allows KU to get to the free throw line but it eliminates any interior presence the Wolfpack, allowing for Hunter Dickinson and Flory Bidunga to take over down low or work off of downhill ball-screen action.

 KU has the pieces to exploit this in many ways, but it must be aggressive and attack its big early if it wants to succeed on Saturday.