CHICAGO - Bill Self has spent the last few seasons trying to spark Kansas at the right moments. On Tuesday night, he didn’t need to do that with Tyran Stokes.
The top-ranked freshman forward turned a charged night into a big one, posting 23 points and 10 rebounds as Kansas rolled past Kentucky 89-69 in the Champions Classic. For Stokes, it was more than just a strong debut on a national stage. It was personal.
He grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, in a household split between the region’s two biggest programs, with his allegiance leaning toward Louisville and, as he added, North Carolina. Kentucky made a major push to land him in recruiting, only for Stokes to choose Kansas last spring. So when the Wildcats showed up on the schedule, he knew exactly what it meant.
“Being from Louisville, I kind of still got that same emotion as if I was playing for Louisville, but I’m here at Kansas, so obviously being able to play against a school like that is just one of one,” Stokes added, “and this is my first time to step on the big stage and show what I can do.”
It didn’t start cleanly. Stokes missed his first two 3-point attempts and got blocked before his first stint ended.
But once he came back in, the game started tilting his way. He scored on a putback for a three-point play, buried a 3 to put Kansas ahead, fed Christian Reeves for a fast-break layup and kept piling on from there.
That stretch was the turning point. Kansas outscored Kentucky 15-3 beginning when Stokes entered at the 12:35 mark as part of a four-man substitution, and 17-6 before he went back to the bench.
Self said the freshman settled in once the first long ball dropped.
“I actually thought he handled the moment better than I actually anticipated (him) doing,” Self said postgame. “He’s very emotional, which is a big, big plus - nobody should take that as a negative - but I didn’t want him to be too geeked up where he couldn’t play.
“What helped him a lot tonight was seeing that first 3 go down. After that, I thought he played under control, I thought he played within what we were trying to do and still found a way to be aggressive at the same time. I thought it was pretty impressive.”
Stokes said Kentucky’s approach gave him room to work. He believed the Wildcats were shading help away from him and not fully selling out on his jumper, which opened the door for him to take the shots Kansas had been drilling into him.
“They were kind of helping off a little bit. I don’t think they were trying to really key in on my jump shot, more so my driving, so when I seen the guys step back, I practice those shots every time coming off a screen. If a man goes under, my coaches tell me to step back and shoot it, and they really instilled the confidence in me this game to just go out there, live free and shoot.”
He finished 8-for-19 from the field and 4-for-8 from 3-point range, adding two more triples in the second half. The perimeter shot hasn’t always been the part of his game that gets the most attention, but Self said he’s long believed it can be a real weapon.
“There’s no reason why he can’t be in that 40% range as a 3-point shooter, in my opinion.”
Even after the outcome was decided, Stokes kept pressing. He helped bring some energy when Kansas was dragging late and knocked down two free throws after a foul by Malachi Moreno with 26 seconds left.
“I was really trying to get a dunk so I could celebrate a little bit more, but we got the win, so I’m happy,” Stokes said.
Trey Kaufman-Renn, who wants to help bring out more of that edge in Stokes, saw exactly what Kansas needs from him.
“He’s aggressive today, he’s the best player on the floor,” Kaufman-Renn said.
In Other News...
Kansas Freshmen Just Gave Fans A Dangerous Glimpse Against Kentucky
A nationally televised win over Kentucky gave Kansas fans an early look at what this freshman class can do when it starts clicking. Tyran Stokes set the tone with 23 points and four three-pointers, while Taylen Kinney kept the offense moving with eight assists in an 89-69 rout that felt as much about promise as it did about the final margin.
For Jayhawks supporters, the most interesting part may be where this goes next. Both Stokes and Kinney were heavily recruited by Kentucky, and they made a point of showing their value in a game that carried plenty of attention beyond the box score. If this is the kind of impact Kansas can get from its freshmen this early, the rest of the season could get very interesting in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Sent An Early Warning To The Rest Of College Basketball
The Champions Classic offered an early snapshot of where the college basketball powers stand, and Kansas left Madison Square Garden with the kind of win that tends to travel. While Michigan States upset of Duke grabbed plenty of attention, the Jayhawks handled Kentucky and reinforced why they are already being viewed as a team with the look of a serious national contender. It was the sort of opening-night result that can shape the conversation around a program before conference play even begins.
For Kansas, the win also came against a Kentucky team that still has obvious questions to sort through, especially at point guard and at power forward. Duke, meanwhile, was left to regroup after an uneven offensive showing despite its talent, while Emoni Bates continued to draw eyes as one of the early NBA draft names to watch with his improved outside shooting and assertive style. For the Jayhawks, the bigger takeaway is simple: they did not just survive a marquee stage, they used it to send a message. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Already Looks Like A Team Nobody Wants To Face
Kansas got the kind of early-season win that tends to travel well, handling Kentucky 89-69 in a game that looked comfortable long before the final buzzer. The Jayhawks were connected on both ends, and Trey Kaufman-Renn played a big part in that rhythm, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds and six assists without a turnover while helping keep the offense flowing cleanly.
Kentucky never found much traction, especially with Malachi Moreno hampered by fouls and the Wildcats struggling to generate easy points off cuts. For Kansas, that kind of complete performance is exactly why the rest of the sport will start circling this team sooner rather than later, because it already has the look of a group opponents would rather avoid. [Read more 🡒]