photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas center Jeff Withey defends against a shot by South Florida forward Ron Anderson Jr. during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Note: Here is a listing of definitions for some terms used in this blog. Also, feel free to ask questions in the comments section below if something doesn’t make sense.

Following his team’s 70-42 loss to Kansas on Saturday night, South Florida coach Stan Heath tried to explain why it was so hard for the Bulls to put up points.

“We typically can score a lot better around the basket,” Heath said. “Both (Thomas) Robinson and (Jeff) Withey just made it hard to score around the basket for us.”

KU is starting to develop the reputation of being a tough team to score against inside, and the numbers back this up.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas center Jeff Withey defends against a shot by South Florida forward Ron Anderson Jr. during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

So far this year, KU’s opponents have shot just 38.9 percent from two-point range, which is 15th nationally.

The numbers look even better if you just look at the Jayhawks’ last four games.

Two-point field goals against KU
UCLA: 8-for-30 (26.7 percent)
Duke: 11-for-31 (35.5 percent)
FAU: 17-for-48 (35.4 percent)
USF: 11-for-29 (37.9 percent)

Last four games: 47-for-138 (34.1 percent)

That 34.1 percent two-point defense looks even better when you consider that the NCAA average for two-pointers is 47.4 percent.

M.O.J. (Most Outstanding Jayhawk)

Tyshawn Taylor earns this distinction by picking up his game in the second half.

http://www2.kusports.com/videos/2011/dec/03/35232/

Overall, Taylor posted 1.30 points per possession used — his highest mark of the year — while ending a team-high 26.5 percent of his team’s possessions while he was in (a very high number).

Taylor also led the team in effective field goal percentage (100 percent) and assist percentage (handing out assists on 45.5 percent of the available made field goals while he was in).

He still had too many turnovers (turning it over on 35.7 percent of the possessions he ended), but while he was in, he helped KU by either making shots or finding the open guy.

Room for Improvement

KU’s numbers weren’t horrible offensively (1.09 PPP), but they could have been better with fewer turnovers and better three-point shooting.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Travis Releford puts on a three from the wing against South Florida during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks turned it over on 21.9 percent of their possessions, which isn’t good, but it still was the best they have done in the stat in the last four games.

Meanwhile, KU had problems taking advantage of USF’s sagging defense because it couldn’t hit outside shots.

The Jayhawks finished 7 of 25 from three (28 percent), but they made just 1 of 11 (9.1 percent) in the first half, which was part of the reason KU only led by three at the break.

Tyshawn Taylor made 4 of 6 threes, but the rest of the team combined to go 3-for-19 (15.7 percent).

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor signals to the bench after hitting a three-pointer against South Florida during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

KU’s best three-point shooters, Elijah Johnson and Conner Teahan, both had rough shooting nights. Though Johnson seemed to mostly take open shots, he finished 1-for-8 from deep, while Teahan was just 1-for-6.

It’s still early, but KU’s team three-point shooting of 33.6 percent is below the NCAA average for three-point shooting (33.7 percent).

Obviously, KU’s offense will improve quite a bit if that number ticks up even a little.

Tough-Luck Line

Typically, Justin Wesley performs his “do no harm” role pretty well for KU.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Justin Wesley pulls a rebound from Florida Atlantic forward Jordan McCoy during the second half on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

That didn’t happen on Saturday night, when the big man turned it over four times during his 20 minutes on the floor.

The giveaways resulted in an ugly final line. Wesley posted just 0.34 points per possession used while ending 18.7 percent of the possessions he was in.

Eventually, you would have to think that Kevin Young will start to inherit some more of the bench minutes for KU.

Though Young has limited time, his offensive numbers are impressive. His offensive rating of 133.7 leads the team, and he’s done that while ending 23.4 percent of the possessions he’s been in (a high number).

His rebounding numbers are strong as well. Young has grabbed 36.3 percent of the available defensive rebounds and 26.0 percent of the available offensive rebounds.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Kevin Young comes away with a rebound against Florida Atlantic during the first half on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Young’s inconsistent play and poor defending has kept him from getting more minutes, but if Self is looking to give his offense a boost, Young is probably the best guy for KU to sub in.

Bottom Line

For the second straight game, KU came away with a strong defensive effort.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas center Jeff Withey extends to defend against a shot from South Florida forward Augustus Gilchrist during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks held the Bulls to just 0.66 points per possession — KU’s fifth-best defensive effort of the last two seasons. It also tied for the second-worst PPP mark by a South Florida team in a game in the last 15 seasons.

In addition to holding South Florida to a poor shooting percentage (37.0 eFG%), KU also forced turnovers on 29.7 percent of the Bulls’ possessions — the second-highest mark for KU’s defense this year.

The Jayhawks also showed a continued ability to limit the inside shooting of an opponent. Robinson appeared to be a big part of this, as he blocked two shots, while USF scored just 25 points during his 30 minutes on the court.

Ugly games or not, KU’s defense deserves credit for outstanding performances the last two contests.