In the Jayhawks’ opening Players Era 71-61 win over ACC side Notre Dame, things were not perfect. At points, Kansas lagged and opened up potential avenues for an upset win, including just a five-point 59-54 gap with 5:57 to play in the game. Yet consistency towards the end of the game gave way to a relatively comfortable 10-point win heading into day two of the championship.
With the team missing out on key Darryn Peterson, there was an added emphasis on the rest of the team to show up and the call was answered.
While Jamari McDowell’s five points, two rebounds, one assist, and one block will not jump out of the box score, with the game at its pivotal point, the redshirt sophomore knocked in a massive three-pointer to essentially seal the game with a 10-point lead with 2:41 to play.