LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball has now won back-to-back games after an 87-53 win Sunday at home against Brown.
The Jayhawks (9-2), who entered the game ranked No. 8 in the nation, used a dominating second half to crush the Bears (7-4). Brown couldn’t sustain many runs, especially considering how poorly it shot the ball from the field and from behind the arc. Kansas is now 7-0 inside Allen Fieldhouse this season.
Here are a few takeaways from this game:
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The confidence Zeke Mayo is playing with is undeniable
Those first two 3-pointers Zeke Mayo hit in the first half for Kansas were all the evidence one could need to illustrate just how much confidence the senior guard is playing with right now. From one to the next, it was almost as if he had to wait to see the ball fall through the net less and less. It doesn’t come as much of a surprise he finished the game as its leading scorer with 25 points, or that he shot 10-for-15 from the field and 5-for-8 from behind the arc.
Mayo, critical of his own play defensively postgame, noted things were just clicking for him. Jayhawks senior forward KJ Adams alluded to a feeling that, when Mayo is shooting the ball that well from behind the arc, at that point you just give Mayo space to operate. KU head coach Bill Self also highlighted how well Mayo, who added eight rebounds and four assists, is playing right now.
Flory Bidunga is thriving as well
Those dunks and those blocks Flory Bidunga made against Brown showcased again how well the forward is acclimating to Kansas during his freshman year in college. They helped him finish with eight points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks. With each one, he energized the crowd.
Both Mayo and Adams spoke glowingly of Bidunga postgame. Mayo outlined that, while Bidunga has struggled at times recently, mentally Bidunga has remained engaged. It’s why Bidunga was capable of playing as well as he did against Brown.
Bill Self didn’t sound concerned about Rylan Griffen
Kansas junior guard Rylan Griffen exited the game in the second half after suffering an apparent injury, but Self didn’t sound concerned about the Jayhawks’ starter postgame. This is a positive sign for Kansas, as it nears Big 12 Conference play. Whether Griffen starts or not, he’s a key part of the team’s rotation.
“He’s fine,” Self said about Griffen, who finished with seven points and a few rebounds. “He’s got a, just a knot, on his eye or right above his eye. So, they made it sound like, to me, that he would be Rocky Balboa in Rocky II the way his face was. But he can still see out of it and everything. So, he’ll be fine. He’ll get some pity sympathy when he gets home, and maybe get some more home cooking or whatever because of it, but that’s about it.”
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball coach Bill Self updates Rylan Griffen’s status
