Kansas Jayhawks vs NC State Wolfpack: Player Ratings to the Theme of Fictional Places

Rating the players after KU's win over North Carolina State in the Battle 4 Atlantis

Hey, the Battle 4 Atlantis is upon us once more as KU beat North Carolina State, so what better time than now to rate the players to fictional places, and I’ve decided to keep this list pop-culture centered. No need to get too obscure here; that’s what the comment section in the discord server is for. And if you don’t yet know how we rate the players, here’s the lowdown.

Contents

1. 5 Stars: Star Wars
2. 4.5 Stars: Gotham City
3. 4 Stars: Hogwarts
4. 3.5 Stars: Atlantis
5. 3 Stars: Emerald City
6. 2 Stars: Jurassic Park
7. 1 Star: Neverland
8. Chris Teahan Memorial No Star:

5 Stars: Out of this world performance. This is a hard to achieve rating and is only reserved for the most impressive or impressionable performances.

4.5 Stars: Very strong performance, packed the stat sheet, provided undeniable intangibles.

4 Stars: A strong performance that falls just short of the standards above.

3.5 Stars: Above average performance, perhaps stands out in one category or one aspect of the game.

3 Stars: Average performance. Also could be a very strong game in one aspect but a very poor game in another such as 15 points but seven turnovers. Could also be that the player played, did their job, but didn't do much spectacularly.

2 Stars: Below average performance, or we simply have higher expectations for the player on this particular night.

1 Star: Rare, but if a player has a stinker in all aspects.

Memorial No Star: Named after a former KU walk-on or obscure player and is awarded to the player(s) who didn't have enough playing time to contribute or whose performance isn't worthy of a rating for another reason.

5 Stars: Star Wars

The Star Wars universe is probably the most scrutinized and overanalyzed fictitious place ever written about so it was the obvious choice as the five star.

I wanted to put a few guys here, but I just couldn't.  See below.

4.5 Stars: Gotham City

There is no more iconic fictional city than Gotham. Batman has been done in so many different ways that it keeps amazing me that they can keep cranking out high quality Batman material. But they still do and I’m here for it.

Gradey Dick had a huge first half, nailing six threes, but didn't manage one in the second half.  He did finish with a game high 25 points.  Great game by the freshman.

Jalen Wilson had another great game for KU.  Nineteen points and 11 rebounds in the end.

4 Stars: Hogwarts

I’ll admit to being too old to have read these books when they came out, but I watched the movies (they're really confusing if you haven’t read the books and you need someone to explain things to you) and I understand the cultural impact that the characters in the Harry Potter books have had. It’s immense.

Dajuan Harris is just so solid. After he realized that the lobs weren't coming off against NC State's superior size, he played a lot more under control.  Finished with 14 points on five of six shooting while adding six assists.  Also played solid defense throughout.

Kevin McCullar had his best game as a Jayhawk, looking more like what he was at Texas Tech and Bill Self has to be happy with that. He also managed a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards.

3.5 Stars: Atlantis

Don’t you think that if this place was even remotely close to real, that we would’ve found it by now? Probably. If you happen to do a lot of reading, this is still a hot topic among modern archaeological fiction, and a new treasure hunter will surely find it again next week.

As solid as he could be against dudes who are way bigger than him, KJ Adams proved that he is the most reliable player in the post for KU. Scored eight and grabbed five boards before fouling out.

3 Stars: Emerald City

The fictional land of Oz where Dorothy meets her companions along the way was always better than the city at the end. I mean, it was a tiny dude behind a curtain the whole time? Come on Wizard of Oz. What kind of place lets a dude with a big voice and no substance run it? Check that, don’t answer that.

A little wild sometimes, but the minutes that Bobby Pettiford provided proved to be crucial. Had a great drive for his only two points.

The quizzical looks that Ernest Udeh managed every time a call went against him or Kansas is worth rating him.  Scored two points in limited action.

2 Stars: Jurassic Park

Listen, I stopped watching these movies after the original trilogy, but do I have this right: cloned dinosaurs appear to be domesticated or at least non-violent and then they “awaken” and become violent and chaos ensues? Good, now give me millions to rehash that for a twelfth time.

No one was a two star.

1 Star: Neverland

The fact that Michael Jackson named his compound Neverland Ranch forever taints the name.

No one was this bad.

Chris Teahan Memorial No Star:

Joseph Yesufu and Zuby Ejiofor

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