McCullar leads Kansas offensive explosion in return against Seton Hall

Six Jayhawks scored in double figures against the Pirates, but it was Kevin McCullar who led the scoring with 17.

In his return from injury, Kevin McCullar continued to show his importance to the Kansas Jayhawks this season, recording his second double-double of the season while leading all scorers to help defeat the Seton Hall Pirates in blowout fashion.

The senior guard was a constant force throughout the night, first on the defensive end, but then with his hot shooting. He went 3-4 from long range en route to 17 points, and his activity against the rim helped him notch ten rebounds on the night. And even though the Jayhawks struggled to get off to a fast start, his defensive contributions helped suppress the Seton Hall scoring until Kansas found it's footing.

The first half started with a familiar unwelcome site: A Kansas team that was struggling with their shots in the field letting a less talented opponent hang around longer than they should. Jalen Wilson launched a quick three that was off target and the next few minutes featured a slew of missed shots and ugly possessions from both teams. It was looking like exactly the type of game that Seton Hall wanted to play.

But nearly 4 minutes into the game, McCullar hit the first three of the game, and suddenly the lids came off the basket. After Seton Hall tied the game at 6, Kansas went on a 10-4 run to build their first significant lead of the game on the back of two Jalen Wilson threes and two dunks by freshman Ernest Udeh.

But even as Kansas stretched their lead, it was difficult to understand how they were building that lead. There were plenty of missed shots and missed connections, and it seemed like Seton Hall was making more mistakes offensively than Kansas was forcing bad play with their defense. The Jayhawks went into the break 40-29, but there was still a lot to be desired from their performance.

The second half was a completely different story. Gradey Dick, who was only able to score on two free throws in the first half, came alive on offense during the 27-10 run for the Jayhawks over the first 9:28 of the period to push the lead to 28. And it wasn't just the offense that stepped up. The defense forced 7 turnovers during that run, most of which led to quick points going the other direction.

It wasn't the most complete game from start to finish for the Jayhawks, but they once again showed that when they are on, it will be difficult for anyone to beat them. But as we saw against Tennessee, if they struggle early, it's not a stretch to imagine that they might dig some holes too deep over the course of the season and lose some games that they shouldn't. Hopefully, they'll have someone step in for a Kevin McCullar-esque game to float Kansas until they can find their footing and live up to the potential of this lineup.

The Jayhawks have 9 days in between games, as their next scheduled contest will be on December 10th in Columbia, MO. It will be the first edition of the Border War there since February 4, 2012. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:15 Central and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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