Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - Can Kansas Replicate First Meeting with Houston Cougars Minus the Late-Game Errors?

Episode Date: March 3, 2025

Can the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team upset the Houston Cougars in their upcoming clash? With the Jayhawks aiming to avenge their previous loss, this matchup promises high stakes and intense action. Host Derek Johnson breaks down the thrilling dynamics between these college basketball powerhouses, spotlighting key players like Hunter Dickinson and J'wan Roberts. Discover how Kansas plans to counter Houston's formidable lineup, featuring stars LJ Cryer and Emmanuel Sharpe, and what strategies could lead to a Jayhawks victory.Explore the critical role of three-point shooting and the potential impact of players like Milos Uzan, Zeke Mayo, KJ Adams, Flory Bidunga and Dajuan Harris. Will Kansas's underdog spirit shine through, or will Houston continue their dominant Big 12 run? Tune in for an in-depth analysis and expert insights on this pivotal game.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Supply HouseJoin the Trade Master program today at SupplyHouse.com/TM and start ordering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplies with just a few clicks. Plus, use promo code SH5 for 5% off your first order. That’s SupplyHouse.com!ROYDownload the Roy app now from the App Store and start backing your favorite athletes the way they deserve—with transparency, trust, and a real impact. This is the future of college sports. Join it now by downloading Roy and supporting your favorite players!FanDuelRight now, new FanDuel customers can get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Bonus Bets if your first FIVE DOLLAR bet wins!Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

On today's Locked on Jayhawks, Kansas heads on the road to take on the Houston Cougars. You are Locked on Jayhawks, your daily podcast on the Kansas Jayhawks, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. What's going on? Derek Johnson here. This is Locked on Jayhawks. Thanks for making it your first listen every day. What's going on? Derek Johnson here. This is Locked on Jayhawks. Thanks for making it your first listen every day and thank you to every dayers catching each and every episode of the show.

On today's edition of Locked on Jayhawks, we're going to be breaking down the KU Houston game preview as the Jayhawks. We're going to overcome what happened in the first meeting between these two teams and looking to come off another loss against Texas Tech. Houston, meanwhile, trying to wrap up would be one of the best big 12 seasons we've ever seen. And we'll get into the headlines of the game. What happened in the first go around? Houston's scouting import keys to the game

for KU players to watch and so much more on this episode of the show. First though, we were brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Right now, new FanDuel customers can get $150 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. And you can do that to take Kansas with a lot of points, or maybe you go on the other side.

That is completely up to you. All right, so let's start here. KU takes on Houston, and certainly the first game is interesting to track the storylines. I mean, there's more issues for this Kansas team than I think maybe the repercussions of that game and how

it affected them. But it certainly did have a tailspin sort of effect on KU in what went down in that first matchup between these two. And that was Houston winning 92 to 86 in double overtime, a game that Kansas had no business losing. And you know, you look at it, and this is Houston team that was down by what six points with 20 seconds, you're shooting two free throws, you miss both free throws. And then all of a sudden, they hit a three can't get the inbound pass in, they hit another three, like, it was just disaster for KU at the end of regulation in the first overtime. And then you just

couldn't make a free throw some there. What is interesting though, is if you look at it, you could say, okay, Kansas played a really good basketball game against Houston. They put themselves in a position that they should have won the game. So from a certain standpoint, you could come into this one and be like, if they can just replicate that against the same opponent,

then there's a good chance that they're gonna be able to be competitive or have a chance to win again at the end and What sticks out from that first meeting Houston? And Kansas bull shot above 50% on two-point shots, which you know, these are two good defenses So the fact that that was the case certainly stuck out Kansas was 9 of 25 from 3 36 percent You're probably gonna need that if not more in this go-around both teams struggled on free shots Houston 14 of 25 that if not more in this go around. Both teams struggled on free throws. Houston 14 of 25, good for 56%.

Kansas just 17 of 30, good for 57% with some key misses there down the stretch. And then the turnover battle was gigantic. Kansas finished with 12 turnovers, which honestly is a good number against Houston, especially when you play double overtime. It's less about that. It's more that Kansas only forced five turnovers. That is

problematic for KU and has been kind of a problem all season long. You know, individually, they did a good job on LJ Cryer. He was just two of 12. They did a good job on Emmanuel Sharp. He was just two for eight, although he hit that big three late, but he was also coming off an injury. And you're going to get a better Emmanuel Sharp in this go around. The guys that killed KU were Milos Uzon, who had 17 points, nine rebounds, nine assists. He was awesome on six of 11 shooting. Malik Wilson off the bench had 18 points. It felt like he could not miss.

And then the big one was Juwan Roberts, 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists. He kept hitting those little runners in the lane and banking him off the window and everything. From the Kansas perspective, you got 17 points from Hunter Dickinson. You got 16 points from Zeke Mayo, though he was only one of eight from three. You got 19 points from Florid Badunga,

who was maybe the best player in the game. I mean, he had 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal. And then Ryland Griffin off the bench was a stud for Tay U. 17 points on five of six from three point range. Even Duann Harris at eight points, three rebounds or five rebounds. 12 assists to just one turnover against one of the best

defenses in the country. So those are some things that stick out from that first go round. But you know, again, if you said that Kansas is going to be in that same position up six to 20 seconds shooting two free throws, obviously you would take that again. But we'll see if they have that opportunity to do something like that.

Now, the other big headlines coming into this one are final road game of the season for KU, which is probably a good thing, but it's not going to be an easy one because tough place to play against an elite opponent, right? From the Houston perspective, they've got an opportunity to rack up a 19 and one big 12 season.

And, you know, I don't know where it would rank them 19 and one big 12 season. And, you know, I don't know where it would rank them all best big 12 seasons, Kansas and an undefeated big 12 season back in the Roy Williams days, right in 2002. You have the 17 and one season from back in 2020 when you had to do it with a Baylor team that ended up winning the title the next season with that same core of players. So like, you know, you'd have those ones for me personally in front of it because the big 12 is still good but it hasn't been as good this year as some of those past years.

And without it being the round robin format and everything, it just doesn't feel the same. But this would, without a doubt, be one of the five best seasons, maybe one of the three best seasons that the big 12 has ever seen. And it's probably just a list of Houston and Kansas. Like it might be Houston last year in that top five too. So

they've got an opportunity to really feel like because Kansas has lost the big 12 before with Bill Self, right? We've never seen a back to back years. Obviously, that's going to change this year. The fact that you're gonna have Houston do it back to back years and Kansas falling down and he's starting to feel like a bit of a passing of the torch moment, at least for, you know, current stuff, right? Maybe Darren Peterson can switch that around. But anyway, when you look at Houston, the personnel that sticks out, LJ Cryer, about 15 points per game. He's mostly a shooter, doesn't do a lot else.

He's a fine defender, but 41% from three, he is elite, scoring the basketball and shooting the three ball. Emmanuel Sharp, about 12 points per game. He hasn't been the same since that injury and that Kansas game, but still really good player. 43% from the floor, 42 from three. And I mean, basically between Cryer and Sharp,

you're combining to get like 26 points per game on like 42, 41% from three and both guys over 90% of the foul line. That's such an efficient way of scoring. And it allows them to play two bigs who are great defenders with Juan Roberts, who doesn't shoot three. Juan Robert hasn't made a three this season. He plays the four for them. They use Jojo Tuggler and Javier Francis,

who Francis hasn't made a three this season. And then in the case of Jojo Tuggler, he's three for nine. So like Kansas plays two bigs who can't really shoot. So does Houston, but it's just different in what Houston bigs do. And also that they're surrounding them with elite shooters like Crier and Emmanuel Shark. And then Nilo Zuzon's really good too.

11 points per game, 4.6 assists, 46% from the floor, 42 from three. I mean, it's one of the best back courts in the country and they're two way players, right? They play good defense and help out with that. Then those two bigs, Jawan Roberts, 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 52% from the floor,

can hit from mid-range really well, excellent defender, good rebounder. You also look at the other bigs, I mentioned Tugler and Francis, combined at the five-man spot, they're getting about 11, 12 points per game with 10 rebounds per game, and they block like three shots per game,

basically from what they're getting collectively from the centers They're not like the most skilled offensive players Tugglers probably gonna be a top 40 draft pick in the NBA. He's got like seven six wingspan, even though he's like six eight But those guys are very interesting and then off the bench Terrence Arseneau has been a good player for them eight points per game 37 percent Malik Wilson is shooting 47 from the floor 44 from three We saw what he could do. And that game at Allen Field House, six points per game.

So they have a couple of guys that come off the bench for them that they can trust in a very high level, whether it's a bench big or whether it is some of those guards who can score for them, if some of the other guys aren't going quite as well. Now, some of the things that Houston does well and doesn't do well, we're gonna go over to our friends at CBB Analytics

if you're watching here with us on YouTube. So we have this sorted out into over the last five games for both teams and during the conference regular season for both of these teams because you're playing more similar opponents during Big 12 play obviously. And some things that stick out obviously like Houston is in the first percentile

for lack of pace, basically. Like they do not want to play fast. Kansas, meanwhile, is in the 88th percentile over the last five games and 61st for the season. So like the tempo is going to be a bit of a thing here between these two teams. But Houston, interestingly enough, is one of the best offensive rebounding teams

in the country. But you look at their last five games, they haven't been able to get those offensive rebounds quite as much. So you wonder if that can continue on because that would be very helpful for KU. Same with their turnover rate. Like this team has done an excellent job

avoiding turnovers and they just had five in the game at Allen Fieldhouse. But they've been turning it over a little bit more of late. So you don't know what's going on there. Not a team who gets to the free throw line a ton. They don't score a ton in the fast break. Pretty solid scoring in the paint. Though again, those numbers have kind of dropped down

for them. Same with the second chance points. Like some of these numbers are kind of weird that they're falling off lately. A ton of points off turnovers. Kins has to be strong with the ball. They were in the first game. That was something they didn't allow Houston

to just kind of take over except for the inbound passing at the end of the game, which was certainly interesting there. Then you look at this one of the best steel teams in the country in Houston. They have not been a good defensive rebounding team, interestingly enough. So Kansas, that was one thing that Flory did really well

by being in there. Can KJ continue to rebound like he did? You know, can Flory come in there and do it? Can a hundred seconds and get offensive rebounds? That'll be something to watch because again, they haven't been a great offensive rebounding team But they get a lot of blocks. They get a lot of steals. They force a ton of turnovers 98th percentile nationally in turnovers forced per game And then you look at them shooting the ball like this is one of the best shooting teams in the country despite the fact

They're playing two bigs who can't shoot. They don't take a ton of threes, but they hit them in an insane efficiency 97th percentile in three point percentage during conference play, but they're in the 100th percentile over the last five games where they're shooting 42% from three and they're shooting 82% over their last five games. Free throw line, which is also in the 100th percentile.

So clearly again, the shooting numbers really stick out to you there. And the true shooting percentage basically, which wraps in the free throw percentage, two point percentage, three point percentage, 93rd percentile over the last five games. And overall for the season, they're O rating very good. But again, they don't shoot a ton of threes.

This is a team that gets a lot of their buckets in kind of isolation ball. So there does become a emphasis on one-on-one defense to a certain standpoint. And if they have one matchup they can find, then they'll exploit, they'll do it over and over again. That's where Kelvin Sampson, his time in the NBA, I think really transfers over to what he does.

But overall, I mean, this is a really good offense, but it's the defense that carries the day. Get a ton of steals, they get a ton of blocks. They just are an elite defense. They defend the crap out of you. And they're a very tough and physical basketball team And so that's what makes this Houston team really tough that they combine Physicality with the finesse of the kind of three-point shooting and the ability to get easy buckets off turnovers and constantly play tough

And that if you're not playing tough as well They're gonna just eat away at you all game long And it'll come on runs during certain points where, oh, they hit a three, then they got a quick steal, led to a dunk, and now all of a sudden it's lead to a 10-0 run and a kill shot. So this is a dangerous spot for Kansas. Could this get ugly? Keys to the game for KU players to watch.

Let's discuss those next. Thanks. Today's episode of the show is brought to you by Roy. And locked on Jayhawk fans, have you ever wished you could directly support your favorite Jayhawk athletes and be part of their journey? Well, now you can with Roy, the NIL app that puts fans in control. Before Roy, NIL deals were often handled behind closed doors, and fans like you didn't have a clear way to directly support the players you love. Now with Roy, you can make a direct impact and feel closer to the athletes representing the Jayhawks.

With Roy, you get to choose the player you want to support, decide how much you want to contribute, get exclusive content straight from the athletes you back. And the best part, if your player transfers, you get your money back. So it's a risk-free way to show your support and make your voice heard. Support your favorite players directly

and help shape the future of Jayhawk Sports. Download the ROY app now from the app store and start backing Jayhawk athletes the way they deserve with transparency, trust, and real impact. This is the future of college sports. Join now by downloading ROY and supporting your favorite players. Continue on with Locked on Jayhawks with keys for KU and could this one get

ugly? Well, I'll say this. So number one, this is going to be the big one of why I think this gets ugly or not. If Kansas shows up to this game and plays similarly to how they did at Allen Fieldhouse against Houston, this is going to be a close game down the stretch. They will make this a close game if they play a good game. Unfortunately, here's our key to the game number one for KU. Good mentors because you there's a lot of different things coming against you here, right? Don't let the Texas tech loss carry into this.

I don't think this team has been great at rebounding from losses. And then in general, like when they've hit adversity, it hasn't always been a, oh, bleep this, let's overcome it. It's kind of been ride the wave of the adversity going bad. And you saw that like in the trip in Utah, for instance. So don't let the Texas Tech loss carry into this, right? The other part of this is don't let the last Houston matchup carry into this, right?

Don't let it get in the back of your head about what happened. Don't let how last Houston matchup carry into this, right? Don't let it get in the back of your head about what happened. Don't let how the end of that game get in the back of your head into this one that it affects you and you're not playing with a free mind and you're not playing with the most confidence that you need to win a game like this.

And then don't let the road environment bother you. Kansas has been bothered by road environments these past couple of seasons. And if you want to win at Houston, a team who is extremely both mentally and physically tough, you can't let the road environment bother you here. Now, the problem is a lot of these things have bothered Kansas this year, but maybe the whole new season approach, I know they just lost the tech, so it's not as trendy or fun to say, oh, new season, right? Oh, they're two in one. But to me, the new season approach was never going to be about, oh, well, now, oh, new season, right? Oh, they're two in one. But to me, the new season approach

was never going to be about, oh, well now it's a new season so they're gonna win every game. That was never gonna be a feasible thing. It was gonna be, are they going to do stuff better in the new season? Are they gonna play harder? I thought they played hard against Texas Tech. I think they didn't do a good job guarding

the three point line and the guards couldn't make shots and like Texas Tech made their shot like that's that's why you lose the game, right, but they played hard Some of the new season stuff again going back to the struggling with some of this stuff like letting loss carry into two Maybe you're letting the loss carry into a bad performance the next game or being inconsistent or letting a road environment bother you Those are things of the old season. If this is a new season, I think it's less about to me, the wins and losses, because again, you can make the argument Texas is just a better team. And that's the same here with Houston,

but you shouldn't let those things bother you, right? Being a new season, it's more about the process, I guess, than the results here. So at the very least, I will point back to that tech game and say, going back to that process stuff, you were down 11 and a half and maybe Kansas before the new season type thing, you know, maybe they lose that game by 15 You know or double digits still or eight points

The fact that he did come back and it just came down to late game execution being poor for Kansas, which is still frustrating But at least maybe it makes you think that there's some things that are different than the first part I don't know, but if you let that carry into this, then it's not at all. So if you come into this with those good mentors, the right approach, so to speak, again, I think you can. We saw them beat them last year. They should have won the game at home this year.

Now they did get crushed in Houston last year. They lost by 30 points. In Houston, that was the game that Hunter Dickinson got hurt with the shoulder and everything, right? But if you can come into it with the mindset you had in the home games that you've played against them. Yeah, this can be a close game that you'll maybe have a chance to execute late

and do some things that you haven't done in some of these other games. But if you come in with bad mentals, Houston is just going to wreck you because they like always come in with good mentals. Number two, playing tough inside. Houston hits the glass hard. This is a team who we talked about,

not as good of a defensive rebounding team, but they've been a really good offensive rebounding team. That's just kind of an identity under Kelvin Sampson teams, they're 12th in the country in offensive rebound rate in Big 12 only games, they are first in offensive rebound rate. So like that's something you have to play tough inside to try to box them out. But also, you know, you have to play tough inside to get those offensive rebounds because even though they have struggled lately

in terms of their defensive rebound rate, you know, it's something where if you're not playing tough, you're not going to take advantage of it anyway, right? They also defend well on the interior. Right now, teams are shooting under 47% on two point shots against them in conference play. Overall for the season, it's under 44%, which is top five in the country.

If you don't attempt your layups and dunk strong at the rim, they're gonna block them, they're gonna contest them, they're gonna force you to miss them. And we've seen kids do worse in road games, hitting those shots around the rim. So you have to play tough there too, right? And then I think beyond that, all four of Houston's losses have come with them

shooting under 50% on two point shots. Heck, actually all four, they're shooting under 49% on two point shots if we want to be rather exact. Point being, you have to defend the interior which requires playing tough defense because you have tough guys coming at you. Think about what Jawan Roberts did in that first game for Houston driving in and finishing at the rim, right?

Milos Uzon too. So you have to be able to play tough and specifically do so in that kind of painted and lane area for you to be the team like Houston. Number three is you gotta make threes. I normally don't really have this on a matchup. I've done it before and you know, there are certain games where it's the case.

I've done it, I've had to do it probably a lot more these past two seasons just because, you know, there are certain games where it's the case. I've done it. I've had to do it probably a lot more these past two seasons just because, you know, if the team isn't as good, there is going to be more reliance on, in theory, three point variance to win a game. The problem is Kansas doesn't allow with the style of play that variance to happen because they don't shoot it out of three. So it's like, oh, Kansas went off from three this game. They were eight of 20. And that's different, oh, Kansas went off from three. This game they were 8 of 20 and that's different than when,

you know, another team plays you and they go 14 of 35. Like then just the pure volume is kind of problematic for you. But let's be clear about this. Kansas is a big underdog here, right? And what do underdogs typically need to do if they want to beat a team who is better than them, who is like a double digit favorite, at least on Ken Palm, and is playing at home? You're going to have to just get hot from three.

Like that is the reality of this. We are not in a situation where, you know, Kansas is the number two team in the big 12 right now. Houston's already won the league, but these are two of the best teams in the big 12. And if you can just emphasize your strengths better than they can, like you could still win the game. No, like Kansas is the worst team. You got to make threes to make up for it. It's just kind of the fact of the matter here. And you look at the losses for Houston,

their lone big 12 loss was the Texas Tech. Texas Tech shot 40% from three on 12 made threes. San Diego State, that loss for them, 36% on nine made threes. Alabama hit 11 threes on 37%. And the Auburn won only seven made threes, Alabama hit 11 threes on 37%. And the Auburn won only seven made threes, 30% from three, but Auburn's like the best team in the country. So that comes back to what I'm saying, where it's like, oh, okay, well Auburn can just do what Auburn needs to do

because they're the best team in the country, just do them, right? But those other teams had to hit threes to beat them. And in that first matchup, Kansas shot 36% from three on nine made threes, which is kind of in line with what like San Diego State did, or similarly close to what Alabama did. So it is there and you're gonna have to be able to do it

in this situation. How doable is it for KU? I don't entirely know. Here's a little quick trivia for you. Do you know how many times the Kansas has made 10 or more threes in a big 12 game this season? All right, time's up. The answer is one. It was the 14 made threes in a big 12 game this season. All right, time's up. The answer is one.

It was the 14 made threes they had against Oklahoma State. That's the only time they've had even 10 or more made threes. They've had some games with nine here and there, including that Houston game, but this would basically require an outlier shooting game from Kansas. And that's where you're kind of banking on to beat a better team on the road

that you're kind of a double digit dog. And it's kind of a sad state to be in that we have to be to this point, but it's kind of true. You're gonna have to just get, you know, on fire if you want to win a game like this on the road. All right. Let's get to our players to watch. This is Locked on Jayhawks. This episode of the show is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. When the game tips off, the NBA action is just getting started and there's no better place to get it on it than with FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. With FanDuel, you can place live bets throughout the games,

even if you missed the opening tip off or want to bet on a fourth quarter comeback, you can stay in on the action. And if you're looking for a bigger payout, you can even combine your bets live into a same game parlay. I mentioned that on Ken Palm, that has it as a double digit spread. We'll see what FanDuel ends up coming out with, but you can back KU if you're like, oh, it's just an automatic fire for me that when Kansas is double digit, getting double digit points with Bill Self, or you can be like, well, they haven't been

going on the road, I'm going to take Houston. You can also build your own saving game parlay for the game with Kansas and Houston. You can do all that at Fandual. Right now, new Fandual customers get $150 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. Just visit Fandual.com to join today. That's Fandual.com for your shot at $150 in bonus bets. If your first $5 bet wins, just visit fan duel.com to join today. That's fan duel.com for your shot at $150 bonus bets. Make every moment more with fan duel, the official

sports betting partner of the NBA and the lockdown podcast network. I continue on finishing up here with players to watch. We will have a postcast episode after the KU Houston game that you can check out right here with locked on Jay Hawks anywhere You get your podcast and or on our YouTube page as well. Okay, so players to watch for KU the matchup for me is kind of interesting because How does Kansas go about defending? Jawan Roberts after he had that big game with 24 points, right? And that becomes the the kind of obvious one had that big game with 24 points, right? And that becomes the kind of obvious one.

How does Kansas work the bigs after Flory played so well? KJ's coming off the great game. Those are all interesting, but because there's to me like more cloudy, just shrouded of like questions, what's going to happen? Who is going to play where? Like who's going to defend who? I'm going to go with Milos

who's on against the one Harris who's on or who's and had a really good game and I'll feel that so it's been overshadowed by the performance of I guess Malik Wilson off the bench in addition to what Joanne Roberts did but he was as good as anybody I mean Ken Paul actually gave him the game MVP they have like a formula that puts it together for the game and he just did everything you He had a near triple double, important shots for them at key times. And he's just been a really good player for that. I mean, he was a solid player at Oklahoma, but like he's been a dude at Houston so far with another year under Calvin Sampson. So you look at Dwayne Harris, he had 12 assists to one

turnover. You get that again, you're going to feel good about Candice Elise hanging in there against Houston. But he struggled a bit more on the road so far this season. What can he give you? Can this be a game where Dewan hits a couple threes? Remember some of those games where Dewan would go like four for five from three in the past years. It feels like that has just not been a thing at all this

year. It would be great for that to be pulled out in a game like this, right? To go like that champions classic game. So I think that's going to be the very important matchup. Can do one slow down, it was an a little bit more can use and force more turnovers from the one Harris. How is that all going to work in this game?

I'll say the high on the go off meter. I mean, really it's tough to pick anybody because the Houston defense is so good and they're basically every zone on the defensive end of the court, like they're better than the national average in terms of how they defend them. But where teams are getting shots up specifically, teams are getting a lot of shots off in the mid range and above the break from three.

And so I think Hunter Dickinson is somebody to look at. He's had some good games. Obviously the game in Houston last year didn't end up being a great game. He gets injured and has to miss, you know, whatever, he was already getting blown out anyway, but he has to miss a good amount of time. So that lowered the stats, but the rest of the games,

he's played pretty well against Houston. And you look at it too, he's got the size advantage as much as the wingspan does matter for Tugler and Francis and stuff, but it's going to go to him. And you look at the mid-range area, well, he's been leading KU in those mid-range shots. So Hunter would be somebody that I am looking at as being the case, as long as he can avoid that foul trouble. And then I hope that we see a good bounce back game from Zeke Mayo after the stuff that he kind of has been having to deal with. And obviously Zeke did not have a good game against Texas Tech, but I still think there's something in there and Zeke and for a guy who takes a lot of

the above the break threes for Kansas who can take some of those mid range shots who is a good shooter and it's only a matter of time before those shots start falling a little bit more often. It'd be really cool if he was able to do it at Houston, but a hundred against it will be my official pick here. And we'll see if Flory is somebody who can be kind of an X factor for KU off the bench. He was so good in the first matchup with Houston, but it feels like his role has definitely dissipated with KJ back.

And it also feels like he's hit a bit of a freshman wall that you're still seeing some of those flash moments from him, but it feels like that was kind of the peak. Like, oh my gosh, this guy's unbelievable. And it feels like we've kind of leveled off since then. So we'll see if he can come back into it and have another flash performance just like that. All right, that'll do it for this episode of Locked on J-Hawks.

You can find our show anywhere you get your podcasts, including on our YouTube page. And we'll see you for that postcast, KU Houston, on our next episode of Locked on J-Hawks.