Halftime Musings: Depleted Kansas lineup locks down Baylor for 34-28 lead at half
It isn't often that you get to witness a team take on a Top 25 squad and play a complete game on both ends of the floor. But it looks like the Kansas Jayhawks might just do that, as they have shut down a hot Baylor offense and done enough offensively to take a 34-28 halftime lead.
It's even more impressive this time, as the Jayhawks are without multiple players due to injury and illness. Kevin McCullar was ruled out before the game with a flare-up of his knee injury, and Jamari McDowell was ruled out with an illness.
With all of that going on and a half of frenetic action, here are some things I'm thinking about from the first half:
Defensive intensity
Once again, the defensive intensity of the Jayhawks has caused plenty of problems for Baylor. They have been sped up during fast breaks to prevent a clean transition opportunity, and then Kansas has locked down in the half court to force a lot of passing and tough shots at the end of the shot clock. The Jayhawks forced 11 turnovers in the first half, scoring 10 points.
But the end of the first half was a bit shaky, both as players had to rotate in and out and Baylor seemed to figure out the pressure. Kansas has to shut down the transition opportunities if they want to finish off this win.
Jayhawks own the paint
The 16-10 margin in points in the paint are a bit misleading, as Kansas has routinely gotten into the paint and then taken advantage, either with a score over a Baylor defender or a kick-out from a double team that leads to an open jumper. The offense needs to go back inside in the second half.
Is Kansas more energetic without McCullar?
First off, I am in no way advocating that Kansas should sit McCullar or change his role in the gameplan. But it's undeniable that the players start out faster and stronger when he isn't in the lineup. I'm not sure how much of that is McCullar being limited by his injury, but the Jayhawks need to find a way to bottle that energy and use it for longer periods during the times that McCullar is available.
