BLOG: Late injury doesn’t knock Dajuan Harris Jr. from top spot in ratings after

Kansas guard Dajuan Harris Jr. (3) drives against West Virginia forward Jimmy Bell Jr. (15) and West Virginia guard Kedrian Johnson (0) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. Kansas defeated West Virginia, 76-74. (AP Photo/Nick Krug)

1 – Dajuan Harris Jr. – The KU point guard had a career-high six steals, including five in the first half alone, and his emphasis defense did nothing to limit his offensive production. In fact, it may have fueled it. In one of his most efficient offensive games of his career, Harris led the Jayhawks with 17 points to go along with 6 assists and one turnover. That talk about Harris needing to score and play aggressive on offense for Kansas to be at its best is real. Harris did that and the Jayhawks, as a whole still looked to be far from their best in this one. Can you imagine, though, if Harris had not played as well as he did? Harris has called Jalen Wilson this team’s best player and Kevin McCullar Jr. its heart and soul. But he’s not far from owning both of those titles himself.

2 – Kevin McCullar Jr. – KU coach Bill Self said it best after the victory when he said McCullar has been making a lot of winning plays for Kansas in the past couple of weeks. That continued in this one, with McCullar delivering a couple of clutch and crucial plays on both ends of the floor in the final few minutes to ensure a Kansas victory. His jumper is not KU’s first choice on offense, but he’s also not afraid to take it right now, which opens up a lot for him and his teammates. McCullar appears to be more comfortable right now than at any point in his Kansas career. He knows what’s right around the corner and it’s fueling him to bring everything he’s got night in and night out.

3 – KJ Adams – Forget the 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting for Adams, complete with a couple of his signature, vicious dunks. How about these numbers for the KU big man: 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 0 turnovers. Kansas knows what it’s going to get from Adams on most nights on the offensive end. But if they can get those numbers everywhere else, that’s only going to increase the team’s odds of winning. Adams has always been a good passer with good vision, partly because he often plays at the proper pace and doesn’t allow himself to get too sped up. When he can be a multi-faceted offensive weapon, though, the balance on this team becomes almost a given. And it was certainly there on Saturday afternoon.

4 – Gradey Dick – The KU freshman quietly made five 3-pointers in this one, if you can even do such a thing. He…