Kansas vs Texas Southern Basketball Preview
Kansas is back at home after a second-place finish in the Battle 4 Atlantis that left fans feeling worse than the result given the offensive performance against Wisconsin and Tennessee. It’s a quick turnaround – three days and a few thousand miles between the title game and this matchup against Texas Southern – to try and turn things around from a performance standpoint. But this is a team to bounce back against, albeit one that has been battle tested so far.
Opponent Overview
Team: Texas Southern
Record: 1-6
KenPom: 240
Line: KU -23
Team Form
Johnny Jones’ team is 1-6, but that comes with some added context, because the Tigers have played a brutal schedule so far. Texas Southern has only played two games against opponents with a KenPom rating of 100 or worse, and none lower than Samford at 132. The Tigers have challenged themselves against Houston, Auburn, Texas Tech, and Arizona State, the last one being the lone win, 67-66, in overtime.
Remember, Texas Southern was KU’s first opponent in the NCAA Tournament on the way to the title. That team started 0-7 with a similarly daunting schedule. And KenPom projects this year’s team to go 12-6 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. But the Tigers have struggled mightily on offense so far this year. Texas Southern is shooting 27.1% from three (332nd nationally), 41.5% from two (338th nationally), and 58.4% from the line (356th nationally).
Players to Watch
Texas Southern’s most productive player so far is a sophomore that took a huge leap from year one to year two in the program. Davon Barnes only averaged 8.9 minutes and 2.1 points per game in 17 games last year and is now leading the team in points at 14.1 per game while playing 29 minutes. And he’s doing it shooting nearly 50% from the field.
The other two Tigers averaging double figures are seniors. Forward John Walker is averaging 12.1 points and 4.7 rebounds while PJ Henry is averaging 13.2 points, 2.5 assists, and is in the top 100 nationally in steal percentage. And the Tigers have a decent amount of height for a mid-major, but not a lot of heft. Henry, Joirdon Karl Nicholsas, and Grayson Carter are all either 6-9 or 6-10, but none of them weigh more than 225 pounds.
Matchups to Watch
Unlike Kansas’ last two opponents, Texas Southern does not want to spend much time around the three-point line. The Tigers only take 27% of their shots from behind the arc, and only 22% of their points are threes, compared to 60% from two. Texas Southern is also not exactly great at sharing the ball, as it is one of the worst teams in the country at assists per field goals made. Given that the Tigers want to play closer to the rim, but don’t have many big bodies, it will be interesting to see how the Jayhawks perform defensively.
Another potential problem for TSU is its frequency in committing turnovers. The Tigers are averaging a turnover on 21% of their possessions, and are also allowing teams to shoot 55.7% from inside the arc, which means there could be opportunities for fast-break buckets at the rim for Kansas.
Prediction
The timing of this matchup could be just what the Jayhawks need to get the offense back on track. Kansas shouldn’t have to worry about Texas Southern jacking up 30 threes and hitting half of them, and it should be a good chance to get some run for the young post players.
Dajuan Harris should have a big bounce-back game after the foul-trouble-laden Tennessee matchup and it would be good to see Jalen Wilson and Kevin McCullar see the ball go through the hoop from deep. Bill Self is great at getting his teams motivated and sharp after a loss, so I can’t see the Jayhawks having much trouble in this one.
Kansas 84, Texas Southern 58
Prediction record
3-4 ATS
Last game – Prediction: 74-71 KU | Actual: 64-50 TN
Join the discussion! Come talk about this or any of our articles on the Blue Wing Rising Discord Server.
Follow Blue Wings Rising on Twitter.
Listen to the official podcast of Blue Wings Rising: The Rock Chalk Podcast.
