It was only a week ago that the defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks looked anything like a team capable of repeating in March.
Losses in four of their last five Big 12 contests to Kansas State, TCU, Iowa State and Baylor — all legitimate contenders to win the conference in their own right — exposed some major weaknesses in Lawrence.
Kansas was getting dominated inside. It lacked a consistent second scorer. It kept the turning the ball over too many times. And, worst of all, injuries were beginning to pile up. The deep rotation that was supposed to help the Jayhawks stay afloat was suddenly on shaky ground after big men Zach Clemence and Zuby Ejofor joined guard Bobby Pettiford on the sidelines.
Leave it to head coach Bill Self to turn a negative into positive. Buried on the bench this whole time was Ernest Udeh Jr., a McDonald’s All-American and four-star recruit last year, who was spending much of his freshman year transitioning to the college game. Which is to say the 6-foot-11 center from Orlando was not expected to become a vital part of the Jayhawks’ rotation for quite some time.
On Saturday he was unequivocally the most exciting part of No. 9 Kansas’ 78-55 beatdown at Oklahoma. Udeh played a season-high 17 minutes with eight points (all on dunks), four rebounds, two steals and two blocks. He was able to switch off defending guards and bigs without giving up any ground and picked up just one foul.
ern forcing the turnover 😤 pic.twitter.com/bfCNfU62Dk
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) February 11, 2023
Things change fast in college basketball. If Udeh’s game continues to develop at the same pace, he may very well be the X-factor for Kansas come March.
And this is where things could get scary for teams who have to play the Jayhawks during their recent surge. Kansas is tied for second in the conference with 7.3 three-pointers made per game (Baylor leads with 9.2), yet historically Bill Self-coached teams are at their best when they can play more of a high-low offense. That means relying on a big man to establish himself in the paint and making sure he can go up and get an entry pass. It helps even more if that big man can take the entry pass and immediately score it off the lob or without a dribble. It’s what made past Kansas bigs — like Udoka Azubuike, Thomas Robinson and, later in his career, David McCormack — so difficult to defend.
Udeh suddenly appears next in line to run that action.
ANOTHER ONE… pic.twitter.com/gC648jhbYC
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) February 11, 2023
🚨 ERN THROW DOWN 🚨 pic.twitter.com/mrOBHI3EvH
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) February 11, 2023
Kansas didn’t have that before Udeh’s recent breakout. Sophomore KJ Adams — who has arguably developed as quickly as any forward under Self — has been starting at the five, but is a bit small for the spot at 6-foot-7.
Udeh’s size and athleticism still allows Kansas to spread the floor while having a go-to option in the paint. There’s no question how much that can help take pressure off Jalen Wilson and Gradey Dick on offense — as evidence by the fact Udeh was a game-high plus-27 for Kansas off the bench, despite playing fewer minutes than each starter.
Self couldn’t wait to laud that performance once the team got back to the locker room.
“he makes plays that nobody else can” -Coach Self on @ernestudehjr 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/0fkcmqfdWb
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) February 11, 2023
The time to buy low on Kansas’ title odds may have already passed. As of Saturday, the Jayhawks are +225 to win the Big 12 and +1300 to win the NCAA title. Yet that’s still better value than you’d expect for a team with as much talent and experience as Kansas.
It’s also absolutely worth keeping an eye on Udeh’s props down the stretch and especially when the Jayhawks takes the floor in the Big 12 tournament. It would not be unlike Self to give Udeh a bigger chance to prove himself before the NCAA tournament tips off.
The Jayhawks certainly have a long way to go — including rematches against Baylor, Texas and TCU — but the path to a second straight title is starting to appear and at this point they’ll need Udeh to finish the journey.
