FLOOR BURN AWARD: KU vs OSU - March 13
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We aren’t used to this… looking at a stat sheet after one of our games and seeing one player score more than twice the points of our second nearest scorer. But in reality, that isn’t Andrew Wiggins’ fault. He would be happy to share that load with another player willing to step up on offense… but no one has.
Kind of reminds me of the humorous military skit where the troops are in line and the commanding officer asks for a volunteer and everyone steps backwards, except Andrew. That is the situation we have here.
So Andrew, once again, nails down the FLOOR BURN AWARD, but this time, I salute him for the other aspects of his game besides scoring. Andrew was second on the team in assists, having 3, had 8 rebounds, 3 steals and a block. A very well-rounded game, perhaps a little bit too well-rounded as he also managed to lead the team in TOs, at 5.
What really solidified him earning this award came late in the game when he dove for the ball and created a possession for us. Turns out, this game could have been a loss without that possession.
Several players deserve an honorable mention mention… (first time I have used mention mention together). Wayne had a consistent game and is proving he can be a freshman that plays a consistent game. Tarik managed to keep his focus, even though he had 4 fouls (at least 2 were questionable calls), and dominated the boards with 12 rebounds. Our rebound margin of 16 proved to be the winning stat for us on possessions (and the game) because we lost the TO battle by making 8 more TOs than OSU.
Naadir deserves a special mention. He didn’t have an outstanding game, but he did maintain a baseline of composure. He managed to toss 7 assists against only 2 TOs. There were times when it looked like he was going to come unglued, but he managed to pull himself together and give us just enough of a performance to seal the victory. We will need him to do better as the games toughen, but at least we are advancing and having the opportunity to play another game without JoJo in hopes we can adjust with him being gone.
For the first time this year, Andrew leads the tally board. Could it be that he is finally taking possession of this team and unleashing his alpha-dog?
Conference Season Tally:
Andrew Wiggins 8
Wayne Selden 7
Joel Embiid 6
Tarik Black 5
Perry Ellis 4
Naadir Tharpe 4
Frank Mason 2
Brannen Greene 1
Landen Lucas 1
Conner Frankamp 1
Jamari Traylor 1
Andrew White III 1
Justin Wesley 1
Evan Manning 1
Niko Roberts 1
Christian Garrett 1
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@drgnslayr Selden did a great job on smart! Probably gave up some offense to handle sticking w/him. Jamari plays hard and excited to see his confidence w/shooting the ball. Alpha dog is here!
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I also thought Nadir did a quite commendable job staying with Forte & Wayne with Brown. As these 2 go, usually so go the Pokes. But I too have to give it up big time for Andrew. That dive for the ball put him clearly at the top of the list along with the huge offensive takeover no one, two, or three guys could counter. Hope his shooting arm is OK after 71 pts in his last 2 outings. Also looked as he came up a little gimpy after a crash on the floor a time or two, so rest well young men & stay on the climb.
…As a very wise woman once said to her husband, “I don’t care where you get your appetite honey, just come home hungry !!”
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Wiggins dive on the floor in OT literally and figurality earned him a floor burn
