Fusco: Jayhawks' quick pace may jeopardize defense

On Saturday night, Baylor and Kansas put on an offensive show. Circus shots, fast breaks, fadeaway three-pointers and rim-rattling dunks came one after the other. At the end of it all, the crowd offered the Jayhawks a standing ovation as they hit the century mark for the second time this season and won, 100-90.

But the high-octane affair didn’t please Kansas coach Bill Self as much as it did the Allen Fieldhouse fans.

“I’d rather win 80-70 any day of the week,” Self said. “Because it’s fool’s gold – if you give up 90 points in the tournament, you go home.”

Self’s indictment of his team’s defense against Baylor brings to light a worrying trend: When Kansas’ opponents have been able to speed up the pace of play, they haven’t had much trouble scoring. Even though the Jayhawks have made a living on offense by pushing the ball down court with lightning-quick guards, they struggle in transition on the defensive end.

College basketball statistics Web site kenpom.com compiles team offensive efficiency ratings for each game, with 100 being average. If a team finishes above 100, it had a good offensive outing. A rating below 100 means the team struggled to score.

The average college basketball team uses about 67 possessions per game. The numbers from kenpom.com illustrate when Kansas has used fewer than 67 possessions – playing slower than average – its defense has been phenomenal.

In the seven grind-it-out, half court games they have played this season, the Jayhawks haven’t allowed an opponent to top 96 on the offensive efficiency scale. In the team’s 17 up-tempo contests, three opponents have registered higher than 100 on the offensive end. Granted, there is a difference in sample size, but it’s tough to deny that the Jayhawks’ ugliest defensive performances have come in run-and-shoot scenarios.

In the first game of the season, Louisiana-Monroe visited Lawrence and engaged in an up-and-down battle. Both teams ran the court and scorched the nets. Louisiana-Monroe shot 51 percent from the field and tallied 78 points. Unfortunately for the Warhawks, Kansas shot 56 percent and scored 107 points.

In Kansas’ only loss, Kansas State didn’t play at a relentless pace, but freshman guard Jacob Pullen played aggressively on offense, frequently forcing his way to the charity stripe and making all 10 of his free throws.

Most recently, the Baylor backcourt adapted to the breakneck speed of the Jayhawk guards. The Bears’ top five guards combined to score 79 points and keep the score reasonably close for much of the game.

The Jayhawks’ inability to stop teams in transition hasn’t come back to bite them so far this season because of their offensive prowess. When Missouri picked up the pace, cut down its turnovers and scored 71 points, Kansas scored 90 and won comfortably. When Arizona buried 48 percent of its three-pointers and went to the free-throw line 21 times, Kansas shot 50 percent from the field and snuck past the Wildcats for an overtime victory.

As impressive as Kansas’ offense has been, there’s no guarantee the Jayhawks will stay hot every time they take the floor for the rest of the season.

“When you make shots, sometimes your intensity on defense goes away,” Self said. “In the tournament or in a late-possession game, you’ve got to grind it out. When you’re not making shots is when you have to be the best.”

Kansas was able to weather offensive miscues against Eastern Washington and Colorado, but could have more trouble with swift squads like North Carolina, Duke or Tennessee in March.

Sure, fast breaks and alley-oops are fun to watch, but come tournament time, a little patience could pay dividends for Kansas.