No. 17 Kansas finally pulled away for a 95-65 win over Fordham in their season opener Monday night, but it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing for the Jayhawks. While the final score looks like a blowout, there were definitely some early stretches of sloppy offense and, more importantly, some porous perimeter defense that kept the Rams way too close for comfort.
The Fresh Faces Shine, But Eligibility Battles Loom Large
Let’s talk about the bright spots first, because there were some absolute gems stepping onto the court for Kansas. Tre White led the charge with a huge 22 points. Then you had top recruit Tyran Stokes, who dropped 15 points in his Jayhawk debut, looking like he’s going to be a problem for opposing teams. Leroy Blyden Jr., a transfer from Toledo, also put up 15 points, and Melvin Council Jr. added 10 in his return to the squad. And how about recent Purdue transfer Trey Kaufman-Renn? He came off the bench, scored 9 points and grabbed 5 boards, getting chants of “T-K-R” just 13 seconds after checking in. It turns out White, Council, and Kaufman-Renn are among a ton of players across the country who won court injunctions for another year of eligibility. Those three combined for 41 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists in this opener alone. Kaufman-Renn even missed the exhibition games, where Kansas took losses to No. 2 Duke and No. 11 Louisville, while his eligibility got sorted out. Talk about making an immediate impact!
Defense Needs Work, Or This Could Get Ugly Fast
So, the offense showed up, big time. But that defense? Yikes. Fordham, led by Akira Jacobs with 20 points and Lateef Patrick Jr. with 13, hit a ridiculous 13 3-pointers. They kept themselves in the game for way too long with that barrage, even cutting the lead to just 54-48 early in the second half. Kansas coach Bill Self even had to burn a timeout early in the second half, which tells you everything you need to know about how close this was feeling despite Kansas trying a 16-1 run in the first half. It wasn’t until the Jayhawks finally busted out a 19-3 run that they gained complete control, wearing down Fordham with their size and athleticism. That big second-half charge broke open a six-point game, letting Kansas cruise through the final 10 minutes and extend their insane home opener winning streak to 54 in a row. Still, the fact that a team could hang around that long by just hitting shots from deep has to be a red flag for the Jayhawks going forward.
Kansas has got Middle Tennessee up next on Friday night, and it’s their final home game until November 23. While the win was big, they gotta tighten up that perimeter defense before they face tougher competition, because relying on sheer athleticism to wear teams down might not always work.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply