Kansas guard Marcus Garrett (0) gets in for a bucket between Iowa State guard Marial Shayok (3) and Iowa State guard Nick Weiler-Babb (1) during the second half, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Entering the season, Kansas fans probably would have scoffed at the notion of sophomore Marcus Garrett getting an offensive play called for him in the final minutes of a Big 12 contest.

But that’s exactly what happened during KU’s 80-76 win over Iowa State Monday night in Allen Fieldhouse. With 1:17 left in the game, freshman point guard Devon Dotson passed the ball to Garrett on the left wing.

Dotson followed the pass, while Garrett drove hard with his right hand. It forced the two ISU defenders to bump into each other. Garrett got a high-post screen from Dedric Lawson, which gave him all the separation he needed to get to the rim for a layup.

Garrett finished with 16 points on the night, which marked his third consecutive game in double figures.

“Marcus is playing at a pretty high level,” KU coach Bill Self said. “We shouldn’t judge him on how many points he scores. We should judge him on if we win or not, because that’s who he is. He makes winning basketball plays, and he did a lot of those tonight.”

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Over the last three contests, Garrett is averaging 17.0 points per game for the Jayhawks. He’s shooting 22-of-35 from the floor, while also grabbing 3.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals per outing. He’s finished as a top-two scorer for Kansas in all three games.

The secret to Garrett’s recent offensive success was on full display against Iowa State.

All 16 of his points came via eight layups, including five in the second half. Garrett was getting to the rim with ease, and finding a way to finish a majority of his opportunities. After the game, Garrett credited Silvio De Sousa for his recent growth as a finisher.

“In practice, I just attack the rim and don’t shy away from contact,” Garrett said. “Silvio can’t play, so he helps me out a lot. It is just finishing over and through Silvio, things like that.”

According to hoop-math.com, Garrett is shooting 58.1 percent on shots at the rim. That mark is better than only one player on the team, though he’s been much better in this particular area over the last few games.

“When Silvio plays on the scout team, he tries to block every shot,” Self said. “It would obviously help you try to finish over an athletic guy.”

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However, De Sousa isn’t the only KU teammate responsible for Garrett’s distinguished driving ability against ISU.

Many of Garrett’s layups were set up by Dotson in some way. Dotson forced defenders to help over on drives, creating better angles for Garrett when he got the ball. Garrett often attacks with his right hand, but has shown the ability to make a play with his left hand, as well.

As a result, Garrett has become a player who has to be on the court at all times. Over the last three games, Garrett has played 108 of the possible 120 minutes, becoming one of the most important players for Kansas.

“He’s getting comfortable with the college game,” Lawson said. “Once you get comfortable with it, it is over with. He’s turned into a player with confidence. Back-to-back games with double figures, we don’t look for nothing less now going forward.”