Jayhawks' Kevin McCullar Jr. Shows Flashes, But Also Flaws In Loss to In-State Rival Kansas State

The best NBA prospect in the Sunflower Showdown had some brilliant moments – but ultimately had some issues exposed in a loss.

Primer: The Game Itself

© Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Kansas and Kansas State are schools with dissimilar histories, dissimilar recent trajectories, but also, bright futures. 

You have Kansas, obviously; the blue blood of blue bloods, the 2022 National Champions, sporting countless No. 1 and  No. 2 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, and just as many conference championships. 

Bill Self has won over 80% of his career games at Kansas, with an impossible 598-136 record amassed over 20 seasons. 

Kansas State, while before last night's win nursing a five-game conference losing streak, is led by Jerome Tang. The highly acclaimed, yet brand new head coach is a disciple of the Scott Drew tree, and a member of the staff at Baylor for nearly 20 years, including the 2021 National Championship season. 

Tang has brought new swagger to the Wildcats program, bringing in several talented transfers this offseason and performing extremely competitively on the recruiting trail, swinging for five-stars with Kentucky, North Carolina, and their hated in-state rivals. They showed that they meant business Monday night (February 6th) by beating Kansas at home in back-to-back seasons with Tang at the helm. 

Kevin McCullar Jr.

© Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

While showing off a few things scouts have liked from him, McCullar generally struggled down the stretch of this game from an efficiency standpoint, finishing just 6-for-18 from the field.

He had trouble finishing at the rim, including taking some bad looks when attacking the rack. He did hit his first two 3-pointers, but missed his final three, and shot a dreadful 4-for-13 from inside the arc.

He wasn't totally ineffective, as he recorded six assists, six rebounds, and four steals (to just two turnovers). Despite the rough shooting night, McCullar affected the contest throughout different parts, and while he had his issues defensively, notching four steals is no accident. 

In general however, he was ineffective in creating rim pressure in most instances. He struggled to get dribble penetration, often trying to get into the lane with his handle, but nearly always being forced to pass out of the situation.

Defensively, he was taken advantage of on a couple of switches as well, leaving wide-open 3-point shooters. He did so in the first half and let up a good look that went down for Kansas State.

The other thing he did that was troublesome was his over-pursuit. He attempted a few too many times to make the "big play" – lurching for the steal when staying home may have been the better choice. This happened both on and off ball, and though it wasn't every possession, it was a noticeable pattern. 

Though he tipped the shot at the very end of regulation time that could have won them the game, he still made a few defensive moves that resulted in negative consequences. He allowed for a couple of crucial dribble-drives after over helping, he closed out too far and allowed for dribble penetration, and was overall not as effective as he typically is. 

Overall, McCullar is a guy that has Top 20 written all over him, especially in this draft. His size, skill, and typically good defense make him a very intriguing prospect, despite his inability to shoot off the dribble and occasional tendency towards over-aggressive defending. 

Should McCullar let the game come to him more on this side, he'd be much better served. Making some of those mistakes was understandable – it's a rivalry game, it's close, and he wanted to be one of the heroes. 

He does have better instincts than he showed on Monday, and is typically much more efficient on offense, especially inside the 3-point line. Despite a bit of a clunker, though, Kevin McCullar is still a guy that will have plenty of chances down the road to boost his draft stock. 

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