Preview: Slightly healthier, KU hosts Washburn for second exhibition

Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal World

Kansas guard Dajuan Harris Jr. eases up after his team won the scrimmage at Late Night in the Phog at Allen Fieldhouse on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Lawrence.

Washburn coach Brett Ballard had a modest suggestion.

In response to a reporter's post on “ with shrugging and laughing emojis attached.

Unfortunately for Ballard, the former KU player and assistant and now the Ichabods' eighth-year head coach, Griffen and Moore will actually be back Tuesday night in time for another matchup against his team.

KU coach Bill Self said they may be limited — wing Griffen is coming back from a hip flexor injury and guard Moore is coming back from a broken bone in his foot that kept him out for many weeks — but they will be able to play. Dickinson is unlikely to do so due to a sprained ankle, although he has returned to training after missing nine days.

“With this type of injury, a little strain could set him back two or three more days,” Self said Monday.

That means KU could opt for the same starting lineup — Dajuan Harris Jr., transfers Zeke Mayo and AJ Storr, KJ Adams and freshman Flory Bidunga — that mostly played with a bang in an 85-69 loss to 16th-ranked No. Razorbacks ended Friday, but without the services of those three key players, including preseason All-American Dickinson.

“I think we've been so exposed that our meat and potatoes need to be a little better in a few different areas,” Self said.

Bidunga, who had six points and seven rebounds in his first start in college basketball, added: “I think it's one of the best things that could have happened to us because it's still early in the season and we know what you need to work on.” get better at it.

The Jayhawks will have a chance to hone their skills against Division II Washburn — which was picked to finish first in the MIAA preseason poll and returns two all-conference double-digit scorers in Andrew Orr and Sam Ungashick — making the trip across I-70 easier first time since 2020.

For Bidunga and the newcomers, it will be an introduction to Allen Fieldhouse and for the rest, another reintroduction to the renovated facility, this time in a game environment.

“It’s kind of crazy, but I’ve never been to an Allen Fieldhouse game,” Bidunga said. “The only game I went to was Late Night last year when they recruited me. So I’m really excited to be a part of it.”

No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks vs. Washburn Ichabods (Exhibition)

• Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, 7 p.m

• Transmitted: ESPN+

• radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (in Lawrence, KLWN AM 1320 / K269GB FM 101.7 / KMXN FM 92.9)

Keep an eye out

Hometown hero: Lawrence native Zeke Mayo received huge cheers from the audience on “Late Night in the Phog” and it's safe to say that this will continue in the upcoming season. He will play his first game at Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday, at least unofficially, after a poor performance of seven points, four rebounds and three turnovers against the Razorbacks. Self, who had praised Mayo throughout the offseason, said on this occasion that he “played cautiously” and “needs to continue to put himself in situations where he's more aggressive rather than just being out there.”

Decision time: Self said Monday that he hasn't made a redshirt decision yet, particularly with regards to sophomore guard Jamari McDowell. The comments come over a week after Self said McDowell was ahead of transfers AJ Storr and Rylan Griffen, but that advantage may not last as the freshmen settle in, and just days after McDowell had the second-fewest on Friday minutes played in the team. Self's plan for McDowell now is to “see how it goes” on Tuesday and decide on Saturday or Sunday – just before the Jayhawks open their season against Howard.

Another try: A few key areas Self said the Jayhawks looked lacking in Friday night were defending against ball screens and in transition, as well as getting touches of paint to make things easier on offense. The matchup against Washburn could provide KU with an early opportunity to improve those fundamentals, even if it offers a significantly lower level of competition than the Jayhawks face the rest of the year.

Observation out of balance

The final match between KU and Washburn was Harris' first-ever appearance at Allen Fieldhouse. He scored two points and four assists in 17 minutes.

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Preview: Slightly healthier, KU hosts Washburn for second exhibition

Written by Henry Greenstein

Henry is a sports editor at the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com and serves as a KU beat writer while managing daily sports coverage. He previously worked as a sports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (BA, Linguistics) and Arizona State University (MA, Sports Journalism). Despite being from Los Angeles, he's often been told that he doesn't give off “California vibes,” whatever that means.

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