Published Dec 8, 2021
No. 8/7 Kansas cruises past UTEP, 78-52: Who stood out?
Shay Wildeboor  â€¢  JayhawkSlant
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The Skinny: Ochai Agbaji, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound guard from Kansas City, Mo., was on top of his game, once against on Tuesday night. Playing in front of a hometown crowd, Agbaji scored 23 points, pulled down five rebounds, dished out three assists, had one block, and was credited with one steal in 30 minutes of action. Offensively, Agbaji hit 9-of-12 field goals, 2-of-3 shots from behind the arc, and was 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. The most impressive part of his game against the Miners is, in those 30 minutes of action, Agbaji didn't force anything offensively and didn't hunt for any of those 12 field goal attempts. Agbaji is letting the game come to him and, so far this season, he's being rewarded for his efforts. In eight games this season, he's averaging 22.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Agbaji has connected on 57.4 percent of his field goals, 45.8 percent of his shots from behind the arc, and 76.0 percent of his free throws.

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The Skinny: After leading the way against St. John's with a career-high 31 points, and Ochai Agbaji scoring the second-highest amount of points against the Red Storm with 23, the roles were reversed on Tuesday night. Christian Braun, the 6-foot-7, 218-pound guard from Burlington, Kan., watched his running mate lead the way with 23 points, while Braun was good for 20 points, six rebounds, one steal, and one block in 27 minutes of action. On a night when he hit 9-of-13 field goals, 1-of-3 shots from behind the arc, and 1-of-2 free-throws, Braun might have actually led the way offensively had he not turned down several layups and open looks, which Kansas head coach Bill Self talked about during his postgame press conference after the Jayhawks defeated UTEP, 78-52, on Tuesday night. Still, it was an impressive effort by Braun, who, much like Agbaji, isn't forcing anything on the offensive and letting the game come to him. Braun, after eight games, is averaging 16.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. He's connected on 62.8 percent of his field goals, 36.4 percent of his shots from behind the arc, and 81.8 percent of his free throws.

The Skinny: Appearing in his sixth season at Kansas, Mitch Lightfoot, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward from Gilbert, Ariz., has been solid off the bench for Bill Self's squad this season. Lightfoot isn't getting a ton of run so far, but when he's called upon, he's already ready to play. Against UTEP on Tuesday night, Lightfoot, in 12 minutes of action, scored eight points and pulled down four rebounds. Against the Miners, Lightfoot was 3-of-3 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Lightfoot always brings a businesslike approach to the court and is always going to give maximum effort. He brings a ton of experience to this team and, without question, is never going to back down from any challenge. He was solid around the basket for Kansas last night. For the season, Lightfoot is averaging 5.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game. He's connected on 58.6 percent of his field goals, 31.6 percent of his shots from behind the arc, and 75.0 percent of his free throws.

The Skinny: First off, Dajuan Harris, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound guard from Columbia, Mo., can't continue to pass up on baseline drives under the basket or open looks from behind the arc. All offseason long, the coaching staff and his teammates raved about his ability to knock down shots from behind the arc, but so far this season, Harris has passed on a ton of open looks. Still, Harris has been solid, without question, in other areas. Against UTEP, he dished out six assists and was credited with four steals in 30 minutes of action. Of those four steals, three came in the first three minutes of the game. Harris, on a night when just two players, Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun, scored in double-figures, did a great job of distributing the basketball and creating some easy scoring opportunities early on. Through eight games, opponents have left Harris open from outside and basically dared him to shoot from deep. If given open looks, Harris needs to take advantage of those scoring opportunities and keep opposing defenders honest. Harris, for the season, is averaging 2.5 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He's connected on 40 percent of his field goals but is 0-of-7 from behind the arc and 0-of-1 from the free-throw line. If he can hit those shots, he needs to square up, do so with confidence, and open up KU's offense when necessary.