Konate blocks aside, KU bigs got the better of West Virginia on Monday night

photo by: Nick Krug

West Virginia forward Sagaba Konate (50) rips a rebound away from Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa (22) during the first half, Monday, Jan. 15, 2018 at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia. At right is West Virginia forward Esa Ahmad (23).

photo by: Nick Krug

West Virginia forward Sagaba Konate (50) rips a rebound away from Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa (22) during the first half, Monday, Jan. 15, 2018 at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia. At right is West Virginia forward Esa Ahmad (23).

In case you missed it while trying to figure out how the 10th-ranked Kansas men’s basketball team found a way to get out of West Virginia with a victory on Monday night, let’s take time to look back at the Kansas bench.

Particularly Silvio De Sousa and Mitch Lightfoot, who, for the first time all year, gave the Jayhawks a pair of viable big man options off the bench and had the kind of impact on a game that Bill Self always has demanded and expected from his big men.

With Udoka Azubuike dominating when he was out there, but only able to play 20 minutes total because of foul trouble, Self’s Jayhawks needed someone to step up. Another night like Lightfoot had at TCU would have been nice and the Jayhawks basically got it.

Together, De Sousa and Lightfoot combined for eight points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes, which, in conjunction with Azubiuke’s line of 10 points and nine boards, gave the Jayhawks (15-3 overall, 5-1 Big 12) a wildly productive total of 18 points and 17 rebounds from its lone big man position.

Remember, on a team that plays four guards the majority of the time, there are just 40 big-man minutes per night for the Jayhawks to pass out. And Self’s trio made the 38 they played in this one count in every way imaginable.

“Mitch was great,” Self said. “But you could also throw Silvio in that group, too. In 18 minutes, they get eight and eight. Silvio’s not ready to play in the second half of that game. But I thought he did give us some decent minutes in the first half. And it was good experience for him. For our big guys to get 18 and 17 in the game, I would’ve sold out for that before the game started for sure.”

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Mitch Lightfoot (44) lays out to try to grab a loose ball with West Virginia forward Sagaba Konate (50) during the first half, Monday, Jan. 15, 2018 at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Looking at it another way, what that trio was able to do surpassed what WVU big man Sagaba Konate did everywhere but the blocks column. Konate finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds in 33 minutes but also was a monster in the paint, rejecting five Kansas shots on the night, with all five coming in a first half dominated by West Virginia and three of the five coming on transition dunk attempts by Kansas.

Despite continuing to be turned away by the 6-foot-8, 260-pound WVU sophomore, the Jayhawks stayed confident and kept attacking.

“We tried to go at him,” Self explained after the victory. “If we’re going to go down, we’re going to go down at least attacking rather than being soft. When Svi (Mykhailiuk) went in and tried to dunk it and Marcus (Garrett) went in and tried to dunk it, I thought they were good plays. I just thought he made a better play.”

Said Mykhailiuk, when asked if they expected Konate’s dominance at the rim in the first half: “Not really. I would say we just did some stupid things. It was two-on-one and we tried to dunk when we should’ve just dumped the ball and it would’ve been easy points.”

Like Self, Lightfoot was more inclined to tip his cap to Konate rather than blame KU’s decision-making.

“Man, he’s a great player,” Lightfoot said. “Obviously has that knack for blocking shots. (Texas’ Mo) Bamba and him, those are some great shot blockers. The big thing for us was you had to decide to go at him. You have to realize if you go at him, it’s going to make him a little more timid and get some fouls on him.”

Eventually, that worked as Konate and WVU coach Bob Huggins had to negotiate the Mountaineers big man playing with four fouls for the final 5:17 of Monday’s victory. In fact, from the time Konate picked up his fourth foul at the 5:17 mark to the end of the game, the Jayhawks outscored the Mountaineers, 16-6, with a handful of drives to the rim and big rebounds in the paint playing key roles for Kansas.

None was bigger than Lightfoot’s rebound of a Lagerald Vick miss in the final minute, in which Lightfoot corralled the loose ball and immediately went back at the rim to flush a dunk that put the Jayhawks up three with 48 seconds to play.

“I wanted to dunk it,” said Lightfoot when asked if it was one of the best plays of his life. “I hope the picture’s cool. But it was good, it was exciting and I’m glad we could get that dub.”

As for De Sousa’s role, it was equally as important even if not quite as noticeable. Just two days after looking slow and unsure during his four-minute debut against Kansas State, the 6-9, 245-pound newcomer played seven first-half minutes, scored the first bucket of his KU career — on a nice post move and aggressive take to the rim — and grabbed three rebounds, two offensive.

“We (knew) this game was not going to be a lot of running plays,” Azubuike said. “They play press and all that stuff. So, right before the game, I kind of told him (De Sousa), ‘It’s just like high school now. You just have to go and just play your game. It’s going to be a scrap game, it’s going to be an up-and-down game and you just have to go out there and be aggressive.’ And he did.”

Still young and figuring things out in his own right, Azubuike said he has spent a little extra time of late trying to help De Sousa get comfortable.

“I’ve been talking to him constantly,” said Azubuike before being asked if he yet had felt the benefits of De Sousa’s presence. “I mean, in practice? Yeah. But he’s still learning how to play basketball in college and all that, but it’s always a relief having Silvio.”

Monday night, it was Silvio in relief who helped the Jayhawks survive the Mountaineers and avoid a fifth consecutive loss in Morgantown.

Time will tell what that win and these performances from KU’s big men will mean for the rest of the Big 12 race. But Azubuike, who said his sore back was better but still not yet 100 percent, already had a pretty good grasp on the importance and magnitude of a performance like Monday’s before leaving WVU Coliseum.

“Beating West Virginia on their home floor, that’s a big step for us,” he said. “That gives us confidence going forward for the next game.”

More news and notes from Kansas vs. West Virginia

By the Numbers: Kansas 71, West Virginia 66