Lubbock, Texas – Regardless of arriving on the United Supermarkets Area and dressing a lot earlier, Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr.’s official debut in entrance of his former followers happened one hour and 12 minutes earlier than the Massive 12 battle between Quantity 12 and No 1 began on Tuesday. . 3 Kansas and Texas Tech.
And the welcome in the beginning of a frantic 75-72 Kansas victory that descended into the ultimate seconds was sufficient to make him smile.
McCullar mentioned after the win, “I am glad we got here out with W. That was the principle objective.”
McCullar, one of many final Jayhawks to depart the locker room for the staff’s first of two pre-game taking pictures classes, was reasonably booed by some 40 Texas Tech college students on the north finish of the ground when he got here by the tunnel.
The surge lasted for about 30 seconds, and McCullar, who anticipated to be teased moderately than applauded on Tuesday night time, broke out right into a sly smile in about 10 seconds. After that, as he neared the center of the courtroom, he hugged a number of Texas Tech coaches and managers and high-fied.
“It was an ideal problem, an ideal recreation, an ideal setting. It is simply one other recreation. The followers might be amazed. I do know tens of millions of youngsters on the market wish to be in my place, I am proper.” Now, that is why life is just too brief to let some booing and yelling have an effect on me. I went there and stayed with my brothers and we took out the W.
Throughout his 4 years at Texas Tech, McCullar wore crimson and black for 55 video games on the Pink Raiders’ house courtroom. Off this season, a yr after former Tech coach Chris Beard left for Texas, he selected to make the soar to Kansas.
Whereas Beard’s return to Lubbock contained much more hate from the Texas Tech followers McCullar noticed up shut and private, the KU veteran dealt together with his justifiable share of teasing and chants Tuesday night time.
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Kansas basketball at Texas Tech
The loudest got here in the course of the pre-game introduction, when Pink Raiders followers threw a spherical of deep and lengthy boos after being launched as a KU beginning participant. A fan within the first row additionally had an indication that learn “Kevin is our favourite,” referencing TTU huge man Kevin Obanor.
McCullar was booed nearly each time he touched the ball all through Tuesday’s recreation, together with two early fouls, one among which impressed the “(Swear) you, Kevin” slogan from among the TTU crowd.
McCullar’s early time on the sector was short-lived after he obtained two fouls within the first 3:18 of the sport. McCullar’s first basket of the sport got here with simply over 8 minutes into the primary half, placing KU up 26-25 with a 3-pointer, and he responded with a finger to his lips to silence the booed viewers. .
After the win, McCullar and his former coach, TTU’s Mark Adams, chatted for a number of seconds on the courtroom. What was the discuss?
“How enjoyable that was,” McCullar mentioned. “He was glad to see me on the market doing my very own factor, and I mentioned I used to be glad to see him doing his factor, so we took it aside in a short time and it was good.” See everybody.”
He mentioned of Self of McCullar’s return to his previous standing: “I believed he did nicely. Kevin cherished it right here. I imply, he cherished it right here. Coach loves Adams, he loves the staff, he loves these guys. However he is welcome. He is precisely the place he ought to be.” It is like and he is aware of it.
Self continued: “If he messed with him, he had 10 months to arrange for it as a result of he knew it was coming. It would not work for anybody, however I believe Kevin performed fairly nicely. He was aggressive.”
No go for Joe
Kansas sophomore Joe Yesufu sat outdoors Tuesday’s recreation with what KU officers referred to as a “twisted hamstring” previous to Tuesday’s discover. Yesufu was injured in coaching this week.
Yesufu averages 4.3 factors per recreation in 12.5 minutes per recreation thus far this season. Previous to Tuesday’s absence, Yesufu had performed at the very least 13:33 in 5 of KU’s final seven video games.
His function thus far is a chunk of depth from the bench and Dajuan Harris Jr. and was a 3rd quarterback earlier than Bobby Pettiford.
After the win, Self mentioned he thought Yesufu’s harm was nothing that will threaten his probabilities of enjoying within the coming weeks.
“I suppose from each day,” Self mentioned. “However we weren’t going to check it right now.”
survey warriors
KU’s place third within the Related Press High 25 males’s basketball ballot this week marks the twenty eighth consecutive week that KU has been within the ballot’s High 10.
That is by far the longest energetic profitable streak within the nation, with Houston’s eight consecutive High 10 appearances at #2 on the record.
Texas completed within the prime 10 for seven consecutive weeks, and Arizona, UConn and Purdue for six weeks rounded out the highest six on the record.
KU has appeared in 32 consecutive polls after seeing the NCAA document 231 consecutive ballot appearances expire in February 2021.
The Jayhawks took a 2-1 win towards the High 25 groups thus far this season.
NET replace
With the Massive 12 Convention season in full swing, the third-placed Jayhawks maintain the title of the highest-ranked Massive 12 staff from sixth within the newest NET standings to enter Tuesday night time.
NET (NCAA Event Analysis Device) is a reasonably new rating system utilized by the NCAA to launch its postseason event.
The standings might be up to date every day through Choice on the Sunday of March, and groups might be rewarded for extra Quarter 1 wins – a metric primarily based on recreation place and the opponent’s NET rank – highway success and power of their schedule.
KU entered Tuesday with a 4-1 document in Quad 1 video games and 8-0 in Quad 2, 3 and 4 occasions.
The remainder of the Massive 12 NET rankings on Tuesday have been: ninth Texas, twentieth West Virginia, twenty fourth Baylor, twenty sixth State of Iowa, twenty seventh State of Kansas, thirty fifth TCU, thirty seventh State of Oklahoma, forty second Texas Tech and forty fourth Oklahoma Metropolis. .
This and that…
Tuesday’s win put the Jayhawks 13-1 or higher for the eighth time in KU coach Invoice Self’s 20 seasons with Kansas. KU can be 2-0 in a Massive 12 recreation for the third time in 4 seasons, and 16 within the Self period. The Jayhawks at the moment are 2-0 in actual highway video games and 5-1 away from Allen Fieldhouse this season… KU is again towards the Pink Raiders. They lead the all-time sequence 42-7 with Texas Tech, who’ve gained three video games in a row and 6 of the final seven video games… The Jayhawks are at the moment 13-4 all-time Area at United Supermarkets.
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