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In the aftermath of KU basketball’s win vs. Iowa State, here are 3 things to consider

jordan guskey, topeka capital-journal
·3 min read
7

KANSAS CITY — Norm Roberts told his players he was a little worried Friday, prior to their Big 12 Conference tournament semifinal.

Roberts, Kansas basketball’s acting head coach, was with the team during a pregame meeting. The 1-seed Jayhawks were preparing to face 5-seed Iowa State. And it led redshirt junior forward Jalen Wilson to ask him why.

“I’m worried that we’re satisfied, that we’re satisfied of what happened yesterday,” Roberts replied. “We’re satisfied we got a win and we did it for coach (Bill Self).”

“Nope. Nope. Ain’t nobody in here satisfied,” Wilson responded, according to Roberts.

“Nobody’s satisfied, coach,” redshirt junior guard Dajuan Harris Jr. added, according to Roberts.

RELATED:KU basketball vs. Iowa State recap: Jayhawks win 71-58 in Big 12 tournament semifinal

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Fast forward to hours later, as Roberts is recalling this story postgame, and he’s doing so after Kansas recorded a 71-58 victory. The Jayhawks dispatched the Cyclones, in order to put themselves in position to have a chance at back-to-back Big 12 tournament titles. And in the aftermath of Kansas’ Big 12 tournament win against Iowa State, here are a few things to consider:

A Big 12 tournament title would be a boost for multiple reasons

Iowa State guard Jaren Holmes (13) shoots the ball while defended by Kansas forwards Jalen Wilson (10) and KJ Adams Jr. (24) in the first half Friday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City during the Big 12 Conference tournament.
Iowa State guard Jaren Holmes (13) shoots the ball while defended by Kansas forwards Jalen Wilson (10) and KJ Adams Jr. (24) in the first half Friday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City during the Big 12 Conference tournament.

Freshman guard Gradey Dick and sophomore forward KJ Adams Jr. both spoke Friday prior to the end of the other semifinal game between 2-seed Texas and 6-seed TCU. Dick was hoping Texas would win so Kansas could get some revenge for how the regular season finale went, while Adams noted he’d be happy to play either because the Jayhawks split their regular season series with each team. And it ended up that both could be happy, because the Longhorns beat the Horned Frogs to set up a Kansas vs. Texas tournament title game.

Adams wasn’t sure if the Jayhawks needed to win that game in order to secure the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, but he said he wanted to win it anyway. He set out to win everything he could. That included the Big 12 tournament championship.

It might be best for Kevin McCullar Jr. to take some time off

Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (15) drives between Iowa State guard Jaren Holmes (13) and Iowa State forward Robert Jones (12) during the first half Friday of a Big 12 Conference tournament game in Kansas City at the T-Mobile Center.
Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (15) drives between Iowa State guard Jaren Holmes (13) and Iowa State forward Robert Jones (12) during the first half Friday of a Big 12 Conference tournament game in Kansas City at the T-Mobile Center.

It mattered to Dick that redshirt senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. played as much as he could Friday, despite experiencing back spasms that would force him to leave the game for good early in the second half. Both Wilson and Roberts said if McCullar felt good enough to play Saturday, he would. But both Wilson and Roberts also spoke to the importance of McCullar’s long-term health with the NCAA tournament approaching.

Wilson didn’t want McCullar to do anything that would risk him missing a potential national championship run. The ways Kansas struggled at times without McCullar showcased just how valuable he is for the Jayhawks, just as times he enjoyed success Friday did. Being available for Kansas during the NCAA tournament is what’s most important now, especially considering what the Jayhawks accomplished for their resume just by reaching the Big 12 tournament championship game.

If Kevin McCullar Jr. is going to miss time, Joseph Yesufu needs to deliver

Kansas guard Joseph Yesufu celebrates after making a shot during the first half of a Big 12 Conference tournament game Thursday against West Virginia in Kansas City.
Kansas guard Joseph Yesufu celebrates after making a shot during the first half of a Big 12 Conference tournament game Thursday against West Virginia in Kansas City.

Junior guard Joseph Yesufu spent the first couple games of the Big 12 tournament as Kansas’ first option, when McCullar needed to rest. Yesufu said he was prepared for that. He explained he didn’t feel any added pressure because he was stepping up for the Jayhawks in a postseason scenario, compared to past times he has during this season’s regular season and last season’s regular season.

However, while Yesufu helped Kansas to wins in both games, if that role is going to be his for the rest of the year he can’t just do what he did against West Virginia and Iowa State. He has to elevate his play. That’s going to give the Jayhawks the best chance to keep winning, depending on how long McCullar’s back spasms linger.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: After KU basketball’s win vs. Iowa State, consider these 3 things