KU basketball takeaways from win vs. Brown — including Bill Self’s grade for non-con play
No matter what shot Kansas guard Zeke Mayo took on Sunday, it felt like it was going in.
While Mayo wasn’t perfect against Brown, it sure felt like it. A week after setting a KU career-high with 26 points against NC State, the South Dakota State transfer followed that up with 25 points.
No. 8 Kansas defeated Brown 87-53 on Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.
Mayo was the game’s leading scorer. KU big man Hunter Dickinson added 15 points and 13 rebounds.
The Jayhawks (9-2) improved to 3-0 all-time vs. the Bears.
The Jayhawks went into the half leading 42-31. Kansas started the second half on a 21-7 run to put the game away.
The game marked the end of non-conference play for the Jayhawks. After the game, coach Bill Self provided a grade for KU’s play in that span.
“We had five really crap days and we got what we deserved,” Self said. “Overall, probably a B-minus overall. It’s a hard schedule. ... If you could drop two tests, if you took the right class where you could drop the worst two tests, then we would probably have had a pretty good semester. But not all professors allow that.”
Up Next: The Jayhawks host West Virginia on Tuesday, Dec. 31, at Allen Fieldhouse.
Until then, here are three takeaways from Sunday’s game…
KU starter exits with injury
Early in the second half, Rylan Griffen appeared to collide face-first with a Brown player.
Griffen stayed on the ground for a bit before being looked at by KU’s medical staff.
When Griffen finally stood up, he held his face and exited the game to return to the locker room. He wouldn’t return.
He ended the game with seven points and three rebounds in 15 minutes. The Alabama transfer entered the day averaging 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
Coach Bill Self said the injury is not expected to be serious.
Zeke Mayo continues his stellar play
With KU’s conference play starting on Dec 31, Mayo is heating up at the perfect time.
Mayo was in complete control, making scoring look easy. He had 15 points on a blistering 6-of-7 shooting in the first half. He finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
It was by far the best Mayo has looked in a Jayhawk uniform. He hit timely shots to stop Brown scoring runs and made 3 of KU’s four three-pointers in the first half.
He had five of KU’s eight made 3s for the game.
“I think Zeke Mayo is playing really well, and he’s so confident,” Self said. “Those shots that he takes are so deep, but it doesn’t matter with him if they’re 18 feet or 24 feet: It really doesn’t matter. It’s the same percentage-type shot. I’m happy with him, and he’s showing people he’s got some game other than just shooting the ball, too.”
Can KU get to the free-throw line?
Heading into Sunday, the Jayhawks ranked No. 360 nationally in free-throw attempts.
That’s been a consistent issue for this year’s squad, and it showed up again against Brown.
In the first half, the Jayhawks shot just four free throws. They did do a good job of avoiding fouls, as the Bears only took three themselves.
KU did a much better job of getting to the line in the second half. The Jayhawks finished with 15 free throw attempts while the Bears had eight.
While teams nationwide have had success without shooting a ton of free throws, the alarming sign continues to be that the Jayhawks neither shoot many free throws nor 3-pointers. The team ranks No. 303 nationally in 3-point rate.
That said, the Jayhawks did get off 22 3-point looks on Sunday, making 36.3% of their shots from deep.
This story was originally published December 22, 2024 at 4:14 PM with the headline "KU basketball takeaways from win vs. Brown — including Bill Self’s grade for non-con play."
