KU freshman McDowell comes up big down the stretch in Jayhawks’ win over Kentucky
Kansas Jayhawks freshman guard Jamari McDowell stepped to the free-throw line with 5.4 seconds left and the Jayhawks leading Kentucky 87-84 on Tuesday night at the United Center, home of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls.
McDowell had seen Kentucky freshman Rob Dillingham score 18 points and Reed Sheppard 11 while seated on the KU bench for all but the final 3 minutes, 46 seconds.
When it came time for his own big moment, McDowell calmly sank a pair of free throws to give his Jayhawks a two-possession lead and essentially wrap up an 89-84 victory — No. 1-ranked KU’s third in as many games.
McDowell, a 6-foot-4 Houston native, was asked if he was nervous as he stepped to the line in hopes of assuring the comeback victory. KU had trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half.
“I mean, it’s a big moment,” McDowell said, “but we work on them (free throws) every day. I know I was made for the moment, so it was really no shock to me.”
McDowell, summoned for his defense by KU coach Bill Self during the last TV timeout, was asked about his reaction to icing the game from the line.
“It’s super cool,” McDowell said. “Playing Kentucky, a freshman, (who) hadn’t played the whole game, came in at the end to kind of close it out. It was a super-cool experience. What can I say? It’s KU basketball.”
McDowell was told to defend senior guard Antonio Reeves, who scored 24 points on 7-of-25 shooting. He was just 3-of-17 from 3-point range.
“I knew the scouting report,” McDowell said. “We go over it multiple times each game. I knew what he’s about. He’s a good player. I knew what to do. It’s not about nervousness. It’s all about being in the moment.”
KU junior KJ Adams, who fouled out with 3:46 left after scoring 16 points, wasn’t surprised that McDowell came through at the end.
“You all saw it today. I’ve been seeing it all season and preseason,” Adams said. “He is a special player just waiting on his time to get in there. He executed on defense. Hitting free throws tonight was big.”
Self, asked what gave him the confidence to insert McDowell into the game at such a late and crucial juncture, thought for a moment.
“To be honest with you, I don’t know it was so much confidence to put him in,” the coach said. “I didn’t know who else to put in. It was kind of one of those deals.
“No, he was terrific. He was good in that limited time. He was plus-nine in three and a half minutes. So that was pretty good.”
