Kansas vs UCF: Player Ratings to the Theme of Knights

Kansas got thoroughly outplayed by the Knights, the subject of our latest player ratings.

Author:
Derek Noll
Publish date:
Jan 11, 2024 11:07 AM EST

In this story:

While the game didn’t go as planned, the player ratings must go on. Today we welcome a new member to the conference and this marks UCF’s first entry into the player rating universe. And what better way to initiate them into the Big 12 than to make a player ratings article directly about them? That’s right, today, we rate the players’ performances based on Knights in honor of UCF.

Here’s the criteria (but feel free to skip using the table of contents):

5 Stars: Out of this world performance. This is a hard to achieve rating and is only reserved for the most impressive or impressionable performances.

4.5 Stars: Very strong performance, packed the stat sheet, provided undeniable intangibles.

4 Stars: A strong performance that falls just short of the standards above.

3.5 Stars: Above average performance, perhaps stands out in one category or one aspect of the game.

3 Stars: Average performance. Also could be a very strong game in one aspect but a very poor game in another such as 15 points but seven turnovers. Could also be that the player played, did their job, but didn't do much spectacularly.

2 Stars: Below average performance, or we simply have higher expectations for the player on this particular night.

1 Star: Rare, but if a player has a stinker in all aspects.

Memorial No Star: Named after former KU walk-on Chris Teahan and is awarded to the player(s) who didn't have enough playing time to contribute or whose performance isn't worthy of a rating for another reason.

5 Stars: Dark

The Dark Knight is the greatest Batman movie of all time and I’m not sure many people would argue this point.

Clearly, no one was a five star in what was the most disappointing result of the season so far.

4.5 Stars: Chess Piece

The only piece on the board that can actually turn. Whether it’s in an L or 7 (or the reverse of either), the knight on the chessboard is an extremely versatile piece. Plus, it has the coolest shape and little things like that account for a lot here at Player Rating Headquarters.

Unsurprisingly, no one was rated this high either.

4 Stars: Vegas Golden

The current Stanley Cup champions are the new model of what an expansion franchise can be. Competitive from the start, and as a bonus they have an extremely Vegas pregame show. The Vegas Golden Knights are here to stay.

Nope, no one was a four either.

3.5 Stars: and Day

Knight and Day is an action movie starring Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise. That’s about all I have to say besides the fact that movies like this are a dime a dozen, but I always watch them.

Johnny Furphy ignited the offense when no one else could early on and he finished with nine points and four rebounds. This was the best Kansas could do in this one.

3 Stars: of the Roundtable

The best knights in King Arthur’s kingdom, these dudes are so forgettable that I just had to look them up to remember any of their names outside of Sir Lancelot. Anyway, they’re famous so they get the three-star.

This is where a huge swath of players fit in today. Kevin McCullar seemed like the only player that wanted to drive the basketball into UCF’s size. He finished with a team high 16, but also committed five turnovers. Side note: the color commentator who just so happened to be a former UCF player, made a comment regarding KU’s insane assist to basket percentage. In that comment, he said something to the effect that Kansas very rarely hurts itself. Come on, man. Do some research for crying out loud. This team will hand you the ball if you ask nicely enough.

Hunter Dickinson apparently had a bruised knee, but he was also rendered pretty ineffective due to UCF’s length and the fact that he was in semi foul trouble. Hopefully, twelve points and four rebounds is as bad as you’ll see from the big guy.

For a while there, it looked like Dajuan Harris might get up to double digits in assists when KU was flying up and down the court, scoring at will. But then the second half happened and Kansas (Harris included) couldn’t do anything right. He finished with eight assists and five points in the loss.

KJ Adams was an energetic force and could maybe be a 3.5 in this one, but I’m not feeling too gracious after that defeat. Ten points and seven rebounds is a decent night but Kansas needed more.

It’s not that Parker Braun had a bad game, far from it. It’s just that he’s no Dickinson and Kansas is rarely as good when he is on the court. He nailed a three when Kansas built their first half lead (fool’s gold) and snatched three rebounds against the Knights.

I loved Nick Timberlake’s tenacity when he tied up the ball near the UCF student section and he finished with five points in this one.

Elmarko Jackson would be a two for his offensive output (zero points, three assists) and was yanked in favor of Furphy very early in the game. But, Elmarko moves up to a three because of his quick hands and feet on defense.

2 Stars: Bobby

Excellent basketball coach, but subpar human being by many accounts. He recently passed away, so I won’t speak ill of the dead. The man was a coaching legend, and many believe Knight to have one of the best basketball minds to ever play or coach the sport. But honestly, it is hard to ignore the stories behind the scenes.

I couldn’t compare anyone to Bobby Knight. Sorry.