Frank Mason’s unbalanced efforts tilt in Jayhawks’ favor early (+video)

The last thing Frank Mason’s first five minutes foreshadowed was a lecture from his coach.

Mason earned one, though, by failing to maintain the resounding tone he set for Kansas in a 73-61 win over Connecticut in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Those first five minutes had a significant impact on the outcome, as Mason guided the energetic Jayhawks with effortless trips past the front line of UConn’s defense and helped them build a double-digit lead.

Many of the other 35 minutes had an impact on KU coach Bill Self, who found Mason in the tunnel at halftime, not expecting feedback.

“I don’t know if it was encouragement,” Self said. “We called a play and he threw it to the wrong side, so we couldn’t run it the way that it’s set up to run.… I was just trying to tell him that you’ve just got to get your head into it.

“He wasn’t bad today, I’m not saying that. But I think when things went a little bit south for him personally, I think he quit being aggressive and lost a little focus. I was just trying to get him back.”

Mason’s statistics mostly show that Self never got him back – he finished with eight points on 1-of-8 shooting, four assists, four turnovers and four fouls. The most memorable part of his story was told in the opening minutes, when the Jayhawks were buoyed by Mason’s energy.

A dual-threat point guard, Mason’s strategy was singularly concentrated on abandoning shots to involve teammates and remembering a more positive message from Self.

“I think it has a huge effect on the team because Coach always tells me I’m the best playmaker on the team,” Mason said. “I kind of take that personally. I try to get in the paint and get easy shots for my teammates and get them confidence early in the game.”

Mason broke down the defense, forcing UConn’s zone to collapse on him near the free throw line and leaving Wayne Selden and Devonte Graham open on the perimeter.

Graham and Selden each had two first-half three-pointers; Graham’s second came on an assist from Mason and put the Jayhawks ahead 15-5 five minutes in.

“He was definitely being aggressive,” Graham said. “Coach always tells him, ‘Nobody can keep you in front of them. Every time you touch the paint off the dribble, something good happens.’ If he’s getting into the lane, he’s either going to finish, get fouled or get an assist.”

With three guards capable of extensive ball-handling, assists typically aren’t the best barometer for their success. Mason’s can be more indicative of how the Jayhawks are doing because they have correlated to wins and losses.

Mason’s assist total’s in KU’s four defeats this season were zero, two, three and three. He surpassed three assists early and had his best moments when the Jayhawks were at their best.

“If he’s not being aggressive, then we kind of get stagnant on offense,” Graham said. “Not too many guys can get into the lane like him.”

The Jayhawks stagnated along with Mason in the second half, scoring two baskets in the first 11 minutes and watching UConn trim a 24-point deficit to nine. When the Jayhawks got it back, other players were the catalysts.

Still, Mason left his mark. He kept Huskies point guard Sterling Gibbs from similarly motivating his team as Gibbs made 1 of 5 shots in the first half. Mason kept KU steady in the final minutes by making all six of his free throws.

He was only dynamic for about five minutes, but enough of his teammates were affected enough to feel it for the next 35.

“I wanted to get those guys confidence moving forward,” Mason said. “I kind of got in the paint early and found some guys on the wings. They made shots and that was a huge part of our success because it got guys going. That was a big part of tonight.”

This story was originally published March 19, 2016 at 9:42 PM with the headline "Frank Mason’s unbalanced efforts tilt in Jayhawks’ favor early (+video) ."