Jalen Wilson, David McCormack starred for Kansas vs. West Virginia; what’s next is consistency

LAWRENCE — Jalen Wilson and David McCormack both had their moments Saturday, helping Kansas men’s basketball to an 85-59 win against West Virginia.

There went redshirt sophomore forward Wilson, pushing in transition a few minutes into the game, finding a teammate for an easy layup. There went senior forward McCormack, with only a handful of minutes left in the game, throwing down an alley-oop dunk. There went the two of them connecting, not far into the second half, as Wilson took advantage of a double-team to find McCormack underneath the basket for what was more or less an uncontested dunk.

The Jayhawks had seen Wilson and McCormack each shine, in different respects, so far over the course of this season. They’d seen the pair play key roles in past Kansas victories. But compared to what might have been expected out of them prior to the season tipping off, that consistent positive effect on games, what had transpired hadn’t lived up to expectations.

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And so, after Wilson’s and McCormack’s performances against the Mountaineers, that’s the next step for this duo. McCormack went for 19 points, 15 rebounds and three assists with a +/- of +33, as Wilson went for 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists, with a +/- of +18. With senior guard Ochai Agbaji and junior guard Christian Braun playing as well as they have been, more of the same from Wilson and McCormack could do a lot for a team chasing Big 12 Conference and national titles.

“Jalen was fabulous in just about every area, and then David — that was probably as dominant of a game he’s played this year,” said Jayhawks head coach Bill Self, whose team is now 14-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12. “It was great. Ten offensive rebounds. The team only gets 14, he gets 10 of them, so yeah they were both terrific. (Agbaji) was terrific. (Braun) wasn’t offensively, but I think he did a great job on (Sean) McNeil and (Agbaji) did a great job on (Taz) Sherman when they were matched up, which was the majority of the time. And (Dajuan Harris Jr.) was solid, so I thought everybody played well the second half, really well.”

McCormack had joined Agbaji and Remy Martin, a super-senior guard, as Jayhawks on the preseason All-Big 12 team. And then, while Martin saw his own playing time and starting role affected due to injury, McCormack saw the same affected due to inconsistent play. McCormack watched as Self tried super-senior forward Mitch Lightfoot and freshman forward KJ Adams Jr. as starters at different points recently, before inserting McCormack again for the West Virginia game.

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Wilson had come into the season after testing his potential to try for the NBA draft, while McCormack earned All-Big 12 recognition a season ago. And then, after Wilson missed time early due to a suspension, Wilson struggled to find that breakout performance. Although Wilson enjoyed success in certain areas of his game at times, those back-to-back games against Oklahoma State and Texas Tech showed how rebounding could be there one day and quality shooting could be there the other.

According to Agbaji, McCormack and Wilson had handled their slumps maturely as he had himself in the past. A positive attitude, Agbaji indicated, is the only way to work through something like that. Trusting one’s teammates helps as well.

“This year and last year as well … we’re close,” said McCormack, describing his relationship with Wilson. “So, we just uplift each other in times like that and we make sure to still give credit where credit is due when we have great games like today and just make sure we stay humble.”

Wilson felt, when he returned to action after his suspension, he was trying to make plays more so for himself than the team. In time, he’s found the opposite to be true. And he believes he’s at his best when the latter is what’s occurring.

Agbaji saw Wilson as a decisive playmaker against West Virginia, someone who makes Kansas even more lethal offensively because of what that opens up for others like Braun. McCormack saw Wilson making the right reads, too, and tie a season-high in assists. Self also commended Wilson’s passing, and the asset he was in transition.

“If you look at his stats during league play, pretty darn good during league play,” Self said about Wilson, who had a season-high in points. “Obviously got off to a rough start, but he’s getting it back. He’s back to where he needs to be.”

Self thought McCormack has been piecing quality days together. McCormack just feels that consistency will come as he continues to enter the game with the same, free mindset. He understands he has to let the game come to him, and continue to be the defensive presence he’s been even when the offense hasn’t been there.

McCormack’s 15 rebounds tied for a career-high, one he achieved earlier this season during a 17-point, 15-rebound double-double against Oklahoma State. It’s just the past two times McCormack has had double-digits rebounds in a game this season, his total the next game dropped significantly. His scoring production hasn’t been that consistent, either.

“You saw it just like, kind of when we went into a slump in the first half where stuff wasn’t falling on the perimeter, anything, that’s kind of where we would go to (McCormack) and get two points and kind of chip away at their lead,” Agbaji said of the West Virginia game. “And we start off the second half going inside, too, and then just kind of chipping away and then gaining that lead there in the second half.”

McCormack would admit that not starting has affected him some because he wants to hear his name in the starting lineup. However, McCormack understands what matters more is the production when he’s in the game. Not starting has served at points has served as motivation, motivation that’s been evident in practice to his team and has translated to a game.

It’s unclear if the same could be said initially for Wilson, with Wilson seeming to downplay its significance during postgame. But Wilson, who’s started four of the past five games, also added that right now he’s confident in himself and his team after a win like that against West Virginia. It’s something he wants to build off of.

“Big 12 basketball is the most important,” Wilson said, “leading up until the next season in March.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas gets big games from Jalen Wilson, David McCormack in latest win