Kansas knew exactly where the danger was when Kentucky came into the Champions Classic, and Bill Self made it clear after the 89-69 win that the Jayhawks built their defensive plan around Milan Momcilovic.
Self said the key was not just bothering Momcilovic once he caught the ball, but keeping him from ever settling into the kind of rhythm that can flip a game fast. He pointed to the kind of burst the Kentucky forward can bring, saying Momcilovic is capable of scoring 12 points in a minute and a half. That was enough for Kansas to make him a top priority from the opening tip.
The assignment was simple in concept and demanding in execution: keep the ball out of his sweet spots and shrink his chances from deep. Self said his target was to hold Momcilovic to no more than four three-point attempts, and Kansas beat that number by a narrow margin. Momcilovic got just three looks from beyond the arc, hit one of them, and finished with five points and seven rebounds.
Kansas also leaned on its switching to make the plan work. Self explained that the Jayhawks wanted defenders in place before Momcilovic received the ball, rather than scrambling to recover after he had already caught it and started his shooting motion. That positioning made it harder for him to find clean space or build any momentum.
For Kansas, that kind of discipline mattered because perimeter shooters can change the entire feel of a game when they start stacking makes. The Jayhawks never let Momcilovic get comfortable, kept pressure on him throughout, and used that defensive control to help secure another major win over a nationally recognized opponent.
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