‘Out of character’ early, Jalen Wilson keys KU victory over OU with two late threes
One of Kansas’ steadiest, most consistent players this season, Jalen Wilson committed six turnovers in the first half of the Jayhawks’ 63-59 victory over Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.
“He was totally out of character forcing it. He didn’t let the game come to him at all the first half,” KU coach Bill Self said of Wilson, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound redshirt freshman from Denton, Texas.
Wilson’s turnover with 16:21 left gave him seven, just four off the Jayhawks’ individual player record of 11 turnovers in a game by Tyshawn Taylor against Duke on Nov. 23, 2011 at the Maui Invitational.
“He didn’t guard. I think he was a little too amped up going against Harmon, his high school teammate,” Self added.
Wilson’s former Guyer High School teammate, De’Vion Harmon, had nine points, two assists, one turnover and three rebounds in 28 minutes for OU.
“He didn’t have his best game,” Self said of Wilson, who entered the contest with 19 turnovers in 11 games, “but he was his best down the stretch which was most important.”
Wilson did not commit a turnover the final 16:21 and finished with nine points, 11 rebounds, three assists and seven turnovers in 29 minutes.
“That’s what good players do, in all honesty. They step up when the game is on the line,” Self said of Wilson, who averages 14.6 points per game.
Wilson — he had two points at halftime as No. 6-ranked KU (10-2, 4-1) trailed unranked OU (6-4, 2-3) 33-31 at the break — hit two of the biggest shots of the game. His three-pointer with 5:05 left gave KU a 54-49 lead. His three at 1:28, stretched a 58-57 lead to 61-57.
“It wasn’t his day or his half. He was struggling, Guys were trying to keep his head up. Plays weren’t going his way,” KU junior wing Ochai Agbaji said of Wilson and his first-half performance.
“Late in the game he knew he’d have to step up for us. He made big plays, hit big shots. It’s what he did. I’m proud of him,” Agbaji added.
David McCormack, KU’s leading scorer for the second straight game with 17 points, said: “I told him, ‘You’ve proven you can play. Play your normal game. Don’t think, just play loose, play free.’ He was effective and definitely helped us win,” noted McCormack who had two late baskets sandwiched around Wilson’s three.
While not pleased with his team’s performance — “we stunk the first half,” Self said — KU’s 18th-year coach was elated his team ruled the final 3 1/2 minutes thus secured the victory.
“We weren’t very good, today. We were fortunate to win, but we did make some winning plays late,” Self said, indicating OU “was prepared and had a lot to do with us not playing well. Jalen came back and made two huge threes. David also had two huge baskets down the stretch. It was a great team win. That game could have gone another way.”
Oklahoma was playing without its second-leading scorer, Brady Manek, who was out because of COVID-19 protocols along with reserve Jalen Hill.
“Wish we could have held it off,” Sooner forward Austin Reaves told soonersports.com after scoring 20 points, “but it’s sports. Things happen.”
Noted OU coach Lon Kruger: “Both teams played their tails off. We have to keep getting better and I think today will help us do that, even though we’re extremely disappointed we didn’t finish it off.”
KU will travel to Oklahoma State on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. tip against the Cowboys. OSU (8-3, 2-3) defeated Kansas State, 70-54, on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas. The Cowboys, who were led by Isaac Likekele’s 15 points, hit their final 13 shots from the field.
This story was originally published January 10, 2021 at 10:05 AM with the headline "‘Out of character’ early, Jalen Wilson keys KU victory over OU with two late threes."
