Kansas 71 - Temple 59

My Observations

Is it just me, or does this team look like a different team every time out?  It rarely looks like the same team from one timeout to the next sometimes.  In the end, it was a relief to see KU's defense as the MVP of this game.  That has to be the anchor until the young players get a firmer grasp on their offensive roles.  Also, did Self ask the team not to crash the offensive boards?  It didn't even look like they were trying to get stickbacks sometimes, but of course a lot of that was due to Aldrich's absence (foul trouble) and/or his propensity to take long jump shots.  Probably the most impressive thing to me was that the Jayhawks didn't let up in the last 10 minutes or so and basically were never challenged seriously once they pulled away in the last quarter of the game.

Player Performance Analysis

The two biggest contributors for KU had to be Taylor and Aldrich.  The freshman Taylor scored 11 PTS on 64 eFG% shooting and finished with 8 AST, 4 STL, 2 REB and just 1 TO in a team-high 37 minutes.  That's extremely impressive for a freshman, and he deserves to be credited with much of KU's defensive success.  Aldrich had his usual double-double with 13 PTS, 11 REB, 2 BLK on 75 eFG% shooting.  Nothing to see here, just a typical Aldrich eye-popping stat line, which would have been more incredible if he had stayed out of foul trouble.

The unheralded Brady Morningstar had to be considered a big part of the story, too.  Morningstar isn't flashy but knows where to be and what to do.  He gunned for 11 PTS on a sizzling 91 eFG% (3-of-4 from 3FG) and added 2 AST and 2 TO.  Markieff Morris didn't ultimately play a ton of minutes, so his impact was modest.  But his efficiency was excellent, as he scored 8 PTS on 75 eFG% shooting and chipped in with 5 REB.

It was a tough day for Sherron Collins and even tougher for Tyrel Reed.  Collins started red-hot and even finished with a respectable 53 eFG% shooting to lead with 19 PTS, 6 AST and 2 STL.  But he played 36 MIN without a STL, and his 53 eFG% was still well below the team's average of 59%.  Reed did nothing positive on the stat sheet, playing 16 MIN and shooting 0-of-3 with 1 TO.  Ouch.

Allen and Christmas led the way as expected for Temple.  Despite having only 3 PTS at half, Christmas finished with 21 PTS on 64 eFG% shooting.  Allen had a great shooting performance (58 eFG%) and grabbed 7 REB (3 OREB).  The two combined for just one turnover.

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)