1. Jamari Traylor: Had the highlight of the night — a vicious, stickback dunk in the first half — and provided consistent play the rest of the time. He flew high for a second-half, fast-break block against the backboard, showed some good post moves and earned KU a couple extra possessions by winning 50-50 balls. He finished with six points on 3-for-5 shooting with four rebounds, three blocks, two steals and just one turnover in 25 minutes off the bench.

2. Ben McLemore: Once again, perhaps his only fault was not being more aggressive. McLemore scored an efficient 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting, adding in three rebounds and three assists to go with three turnovers. Afterwards, KU coach Bill Self said he would have liked to have seen the freshman drive more late in the game.

3. Elijah Johnson: Solid game for Johnson, who penetrated more and had a better shooting night than in the opener. He posted a team-high 14 points on 6-for-15 shooting (2-for-5 from three) and tied for second on the team with four rebounds. He added three steals but had just two assists to go with four turnovers.

4. Jeff Withey: Limited because of foul trouble in the first half, Withey actually had a pretty good second half. He finished with eight points on 4-for-6 shooting, putting in a couple of hooks while going across the lane. He led KU with seven rebounds, and it seemed like the official scorer might have skimped him on blocks (two) while blaming him for a turnover or two that weren’t his (four).

5. Travis Releford: He had a chance to be at the top of the ratings before making a couple of poor plays that resulted in turnovers in crunch time. He finished with eight points on 2-for-6 shooting to go with three assists and two giveaways. The senior added four steals, but he also was beaten off the dribble a few times by MSU freshman Gary Harris.

6. Naadir Tharpe: Confidently stepped into a three and made both of his free throws to finish with five points in 13 minutes while posting only one turnover.

7. Justin Wesley: Played well in his limited time, showing nice touch in the lane to make his only field goal. He finished with two points and one rebound in seven minutes.

8. Perry Ellis: The freshman struggled against length, and after getting blocked, he seemed hesitant with his decision-making. Ellis posted four points on 2-for-6 shooting with three rebounds and one turnover in 17 miuntes. Twice in the second half, after poor plays, he was substituted out by Self for Traylor.

9. Kevin Young: Looked rusty defensively in his first game back. He had one point in three minutes, though he did come away with a crucial loose ball with 56 seconds left that led to a three-point play for McLemore.

KUsports.com Season Standings
T1. Jeff Withey (17 points)
T1. Ben McLemore (17 points)
3. Jamari Traylor (16 points)
4. Perry Ellis (12 points)
T5. Naadir Tharpe (12 points)
T5. Elijah Johnson (12 points)
7. Travis Releford (11 points)
8. Justin Wesley (5 points)
9. Rio Adams (3 points)
T10. Andrew White III (2 points)
T10. Kevin Young (2 points)

— Compiled by Jesse Newell and Tom Keegan. Written by Jesse Newell.