Notebook: ESPN’s Fraschilla says KU inconsistent; prep Dorsey picks Oregon

Kansas forward Perry Ellis (34) drives against Iowa State forward Dustin Hogue (22) during the second half on Monday, Feb. 2, 2015 at Allen Fieldhouse.

ESPN Big Monday color announcer Fran Fraschilla gave a short, to-the-point “State of the Jayhawks” address to the Journal-World prior to tipoff of Monday’s Kansas University-Iowa State basketball game in Allen Fieldhouse.

“At times, spectacular,” Fraschilla said of KU, which improved to 19-3 overall, 8-1 in the Big 12 after an 89-76 victory. “Other times, inconsistent. On occasion just OK. Long-term potential the next six weeks is extremely high.”

Dorsey chooses Oregon: Tyler Dorsey, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound senior shooting guard from Maranatha High in Pasadena, California, on Monday orally committed to Oregon. He announced his choice on Twitter.

• Box score

Rivals.com’s 19-ranked player in the Class of 2015 had KU on his list, as well as California, Colorado, UConn and Arizona State.

He initially committed to Arizona but reopened his recruitment in June after the Wildcats landed guard Justin Simon.

“Dorsey has been on an absolute tear lately, hitting the 40-point mark with regularity,” writes Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com. “He is one of the better scoring guards in the 2015 class and is excellent at attacking the basket off the dribble. Dorsey is capable of playing both guard positions, although he’s much better when looking for his own shot.”

Matt in the house: Former KU assistant coach Matt Doherty attended the game as a representative of the Indiana Pacers. More than 10 scouts were on hand. Doherty also served as head coach at Notre Dame, North Carolina and SMU.

Fred lauds Graham: Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg singled out one Jayhawk’s recent contributions on Monday morning’s Big 12 teleconference.

“Devonté Graham has been a steadying force with 25 (actually 24) assists, three turnovers in league play,” Hoiberg said of the freshman backup point guard from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Of the key to beating KU in Allen, Hoiberg said: “You have to get off to a good start, easier said than done. You have to be mentally tough. It’s how you respond to runs that determines whether you have a chance at the end of the game.”

Niang a good guy: KU coach Bill Self on speaking with Georges Niang briefly at Media Day in Kansas City: “I was messing with Georges this summer, and he was talking about how they beat us in the (Big 12) tournament, and I reminded him how we beat them twice before they beat us in the tournament. We were kind of going back and forth. I asked him, ‘What was the difference?’ He said, ‘You didn’t have that monster (Joel Embiid) I was shooting over.’

“And it’s true. You go from 7-foot and long to 6-61?2 and not long guarding you, and you can play your butt off, but still there’s a comfort level being able to score over that. Doesn’t mean you’re playing worse defense.”

“You know, in football, if you have fourth-and-one and your running back weighs 150 pounds, it’s kind of hard maybe to get him to make that extra yard after he gets hit, where if you had a 240-pound guy back there, it would be easier. It’s just a personnel deal. Sure, we’d like to have that, but we don’t and we’re plenty big enough to win and be good at it defensively.”