The key to a KU basketball run in March? The Jayhawks have a motto for that
Kansas forward KJ Adams sat slumped on a chair in front of his locker at T-Mobile Center.
He looked exhausted — merely 20 minutes after the Jayhawks won their first postseason game over West Virginia 78-61 in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal round.
It was there he was asked by a reporter: “Fill in the blank, Kansas basketball wins the national title if ... ?”
Without hesitation, Adams sat upward and said, “If we can guard.”
“That’s really the main thing,” he added, “guarding and making sure the other team plays bad.”
Kansas did just that on Thursday afternoon.
West Virginia shot 44.6% from the field and 21% from three in the quarterfinal matchup.
Since KU’s regular season ended against Texas, the team has primarily focused on defense and guarding hard in practice, according to point guard Dajuan Harris. Harris said that carried over to Thursday.
He also remembers how defense was the key to Kansas’ championship last season.
“Last year’s team, … we started guarding really good,” Harris said postgame. “(If) we want to beat the best, we’ve got to be able to guard.”
What happens when the Jayhawks play this locked-in defensively?
“If we start guarding like how we did today, then we’re going to be a problem because the offense is there for us and we’re really good in transition, too,” Harris said. “So, if we just keep working on getting better on defense we would be pretty good.”
The last time KU played WVU, guard Erik Stevenson torched KU for 23 points. This time, Stevenson scored 13 points on 6-for-14 shooting — his worst scoring output in nearly a month.
KU limited Stevenson with the tandem of Harris and Kevin McCullar. Harris stayed attached to Stevenson, even if that meant fighting through screens and sacrificing his body.
Early in the second half, Harris showcased how well he matched up against Stevenson in the span of a single possession.
WVU ran down the court off a KU turnover, with West Virginia’s Joe Toussant finding Stevenson in the right corner. Harris immediately closed the gap, got into his airspace and affected a shot, which missed.
WVU ended up with the offensive rebound and Stevenson got the ball in the post. However, Harris didn’t budge and forced the West Virginia guard into a futile fading push shot, which clanked off the rim.
Despite back spasms, McCullar made an impact defensively each time he entered the game. He did so with his constant communication and ability to switch and guard whoever was on the court.
KU forward Jalen Wilson credited McCullar and Harris with their ability to take out opposing players like Stevenson — allowing him and Kansas’ other more offensive-minded players to focus on exactly that.
Still, the Big 12 Player of the Year and KU’s leading scorer knows how important Kansas’ defense is to its overall success.
“We want to see success on the defensive end more than we want to see success on the offensive (end),” Wilson said.
Ultimately, KU’s performance on Thursday goes back to its team motto.
“Our motto as a team is: Make the other team (play) worse and you will win,” guard Bobby Pettiford said. “We really don’t go about making shots. There are some games when GD (Gradey Dick), J-Will is off and we’ve found a way to win. It all starts with defense.”
This story was originally published March 9, 2023 at 8:14 PM with the headline "The key to a KU basketball run in March? The Jayhawks have a motto for that."
