Kansas looks to go 3-0, faces South Dakota State (Nov 17, 2017)
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Two games into the basketball season, Kansas must count on extended minutes from its one true post player.
Sophomore center Udoka Azubuike played 34 minutes in a victory over Kentucky at the Champions Classic.
Although he looked gassed at times in the second half, Azubuike scored 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting and added eight rebounds as the No. 4 Jayhawks improved to 2-0 going into a home game Friday against South Dakota State.
"This is a big game and I love big games," Azubuike said after the Kentucky win, "so I just came out there and tried to do whatever to make my team win. I wasn't tired. I was telling coach, 'I'm not tired. I'm not tired.' He was the one that wanted to get me a little break. I was hyped up."
Kansas coach Bill Self carries just a 10-man active roster, which was curtailed by the absence of forward Billy Preston.
The 6-foot-10 freshman has missed the Jayhawks' first two games, the second after a one-car accident on campus prompted the Kansas compliance office to seek more details to determine a "clearer financial picture," Self said of the vehicle driven by Preston.
Although Self expressed confidence the matter would be resolved, no timetable was stipulated and Preston's suspension is indefinite.
An additional player, Arizona State transfer Sam Cunliffe, a 6-6 swingman, will become eligible after the first semester. Also, the Jayhawks could gain the services of a recruit, 6-9 Silvio De Sousa, who is attempting to qualify academically for reclassification into the 2017 class so he can join Kansas in December.
Self conceded that for now the situation will force Kansas to condense practice into shorter segments so the Jayhawks can get by with their depth, which is particularly thin inside.
"I don't think (Azubuike) can play 34 every night," Self said, "but as many stops as there were the second half (against Kentucky), as (little) transition as there was in the second half, I think he can do that."
As long as he is on the court, it would be good to feed the ball to Azubuike, who has missed one of 12 shots this season. A problem in the Kentucky win was the limited touches he received as the Jayhawks settled for jump shots offensively and their guards combined to go 8 of 28 from 3-point range.
"Once you pass the ball to me on the post, it's really hard for opponents to guard me and all that stuff, so I just used that to my advantage," he said. "Maybe coach wants me to be a little more vocal, demand the ball more. When they got me the ball inside, positive stuff happened."
South Dakota State (3-0) is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance a year ago, advancing as the champion of the Summit League Tournament before falling to eventual runner-up Gonzaga.
The Jackrabbits, favorites to claim the Summit League title, are coming off a 94-63 rout of Alabama State on Tuesday. They have outscored opponents by 22 points on average, with 13.0 3-point goals made and 44.8 percent shooting from that range.
"I was really happy with how our guys shared the ball once we got into a rhythm offensively," South Dakota State coach T.J. Otzelberger said after the Jackrabbits had 23 assists against Alabama State. "Our guys are really sharing it. Obviously when you make a lot of 3-point shots that's going to happen, but I thought a lot of the guys gave great contributions."
Forward Mike Daum was the preseason player of the year in the Summit League and averages team-highs of 21.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 3.0 steals. The 6-9 junior has two double-doubles.
