Kansas 91 - Siena 84

My Observations

All I can say is that people hoped KU would perform as well this game as it did against Tennessee. So, I hope those people are happy, as the result was only one point off for each team.  Problem is, this wasn't Tennessee ... and Kansas had this game "in the bag" early and let it slip yet again.  This was the 5th game out of 14 in which KU's opponent shot at least 50 eFG%.  It tied for the worst this season with the Syracuse and New Mexico State games on that statistic.  It wasn't just that Siena shot way better than its 293rd-ranked 3FG% coming into the game.  It was how wide open they were when they did so.  KU is in bad need of defensive first aid, and if it doesn't get it fixed, Michigan State's 13th-rated offense, the best offense on KU's schedule so far, will rip the Jayhawks to shreds.

Player Performance Analysis

Well, Sherron Collins was at it again, scoring a bunch of points in Allen Fieldhouse.  Only this time, he shot very poorly (46 eFG%) and had a whopping 5 TO's to go with only 4 AST.  He did manage to make 6-of-7 from the FT line to help make his offensive rating neutral.  Other than that, in his 34 MIN, he added only 2 DREB.  On a night when KU's defense rated as one of its worst of the season, Collins didn't do provide many defensive stat fillers to protect him from the blame that comes with playing nearly the whole game.  Tough night also for his backcourt mate, Tyshawn Taylor, who shot only 44 eFG% had only 2 AST against 2 TO's with 4 REB (2 OREB) and 1 STL in 26 MIN.  The turnovers really hurt both Collins and Taylor because KU was scoring very efficiently, so possessions were worth a bunch.

The dependable Cole Aldrich definitely came to play though.  He finished with a career-high 24 PTS and 13 REB (4 OREB) on 69 eFG% shooting and added 4 key blocked shots and 1 STL to balance his 2 TO's.  No question, Aldrich had the best game on the court.  Most of the other Jayhawks had mediocre performances, although Tyrel Reed came through with a career-high 14 PTS on 67 eFG% shooting (2-of-4 from 3FG and 6-of-6 from FT).

Mario Little logged only 5 MIN in his second game, but he did manage to go 3-of-4 from the foul line and dish 2 AST with 1 TO.  Little is still searching for the first field goal of his Jayhawk career.  Travis Releford used his 8 MIN very efficiently, although mostly on the offensive end.  He made both of his shots, including one 3FG.  He also grabbed 1 REB on each end of the court to go with 1 AST, 1 TO and 1 STL.  Pretty good work for a guy who is still fighting for playing time.

Siena had a shooting night for the ages, at least for them.  This was their 2nd highest eFG% for the season, and the two biggest reasons were Clarence Jackson and Ronald Moore.  They shot 73% and 60% from the floor (eFG%), respectively.  Although Jackson didn't do much else besides the scoring, his efficiency level was still sky high because he did his damage in only 21 MIN versus Moore's 34 MIN.  Moore added 4 REB (2 OREB), 8 AST and 3 STL against 2 TO's.  Solid work for a guy who came in to the game with essentially an NCAA average efficiency level (near zero).  

Offensive and Defensive Performance

Using the outcome of the game and the adjusted offensive and defensive efficiencies for each team, performance indicates (in PTS per 100 Possessions) how each team would have fared against an average team.  That is, KU's offensive performance is how many points per 100 possessions KU would have scored against an average defense.  This provides a standard performance we can compare across teams.

Four Factor Analysis

(Actual statistics moved to Game Projections table below)