Video highlights/clips from KU’s 74-73 loss to AMW Team France, plus brief player observations

Here are a collection of video highlights/clips from Kansas’ 74-73 loss to AMW Team France on Saturday in Game One. The final three clips are the final three possessions of the game.

As promised, here are some brief observations on each KU player from Saturday’s game.

Naadir Tharpe — Probably played worse than his stat line indicated, though nine assists is quite a few. Made a few poor post passes in the first half and also went 0-for-5 from three, with most of those coming on open shots. He had a couple nice shots to beat the shot clock and also has thrived in the three games at pushing the ball in transition.

Rio Adams — Hit a three, but I don’t remember much more about his game. Had one turnover and no other marks in the box score.

Andrew White — White stepped out of bounds on an inbounds play in the third quarter, immediately was subbed out and never returned to the game. The freshman did the same thing three times in KU’s first game this trip, so my guess is KU coach Bill Self was trying to make a point. White had three points on 1-for-3 three-point shooting in just 10 minutes after leading the Jayhawks in scoring in the first two games of the trip.

Justin Wesley — Don’t recall much from his time in. He played five minutes with one rebound and two turnovers.

Jeff Withey — I’m not sure that Self has been happy with him for most of the trip. Withey did finish with eight points and had easily his best post move of the trip (see video), making a back-to-the-basket move before banking in a turnaround. The senior had four rebounds and three turnovers and was subbed out for Zach Peters in the game’s final minutes.

Evan Manning — Missed an open three then made an open three. He also had a bad turnover, losing the handle while trying to go around a ball screen from Landen Lucas. Manning played six minutes.

Elijah Johnson — Johnson hasn’t shot it well this whole trip, and that continued Saturday, where he made just 2 of 10 field goals. He was good on the defensive glass, pulling down four rebounds, and appears to be KU’s most vocal leader while he’s in. The shortened shot clock has forced him to take a few extra shots with KU in desperation mode.

Travis Releford — He scored a team-high 10 points on 3-for-5 shooting. It didn’t sound like Self was happy with the senior’s game, which included three assists and three turnovers in 30 minutes.

Milt Doyle — Swished a three before leaving the game with a dislocated finger. He didn’t return after that. The freshman played five minutes and should get more time Sunday.

Jamari Traylor — Showed better offensive game Saturday than he had the two previous contests. Scored four points with two rebounds in eight minutes, though he also was whistled for three seconds in the lane and had trouble catching a couple passes.

Zach Peters — He’d get my vote for best KU player on Saturday. Peters continues to show a solid offensive game and an ability to make moves in the post, which included a drive under the basket for a reverse lay-in. He had six points and a team-high seven rebounds in 22 minutes with two turnovers. Like Traylor, he fumbled a few passes, but he plays aggressively and always seems to be in the right spot for a rebound.

Landen Lucas — He seems to be becoming more comfortable every game with the ball. Without the ball, he had some problems, getting whistled for an obvious illegal screen and also an away-from-the-play offensive foul. Still, he powered his way to the rim once for a layup, and on another occasion, he was blocked before putting the rebound in. He had five points and three rebounds in his seven minutes.

Perry Ellis — The freshman continues to be KU’s best scorer when he gets it in the post. Using a few different moves, Ellis racked up eight points in 11 minutes on 4-for-6 shooting. He had no rebounds, though.

Kevin Young — Just like the previous two games, Young did his best work in the fourth quarter, coming up with big baskets and boards down the stretch. He’s still inconsistent, though, as he logged just 10 minutes Saturday. He ended with five points on 2-for-5 shooting with five rebounds.

Niko Roberts — Played a couple minutes but didn’t appear on the final box score. Showed nice awareness to reach a hand in to force a jump ball on a rebound, then later came away with a defensive rebound.