It wasn’t always Kevin McCullar Jr.’s day, but as KU beat Texas Tech, it didn’t have to be
LUBBOCK, Texas — Kevin McCullar Jr.’s presence was always going to be a focal point Tuesday, and the Texas Tech fans inside United Supermarkets Arena wasted no time ensuring the atmosphere lived up to expectations.
The first time fans were able to be in the building ahead of tip-off, and saw McCullar, they booed him as he made his way onto the court for pregame warmups in his Kansas basketball gear. McCullar, who was to play against the Red Raiders for the first time since transferring away after last season, ended up getting booed even louder when his name came up in the Jayhawks’ starting lineup.
Just about every chance Texas Tech fans had to express their displeasure, say when McCullar would simply touch the ball, they took advantage.
But while McCullar struggled early on in front of that raucous crowd, just as the Jayhawks would, those miscues wouldn’t define how the final played out. McCullar’s teammates stepped up in numerous ways, he improved and, in the final couple minutes, he delivered one of the most consequential shots of the game and came away with arguably the game’s most important steal.
In McCullar’s return to face a program he’d spent the past four seasons with, the redshirt senior guard helped Kansas capture a thrilling, 75-72 victory.
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“It’s just another game,” said McCullar, asked how he kept a level head. “Fans are going to be fans. This is what we play the game for. I know millions of kids out there want to be in my position that I’m in right now. So, life’s too short to let some boos and some yelling and stuff like that get to me. So, I just went out there and stayed with my brothers. They had my back and we pulled out the W.”
Winning was always the goal, more than an eye-popping stat line or anything else like it he might have been able to put together with a better start. That’s what McCullar has said time and again, when asked about how he felt about going up against Texas Tech (10-4, 0-2 in Big 12 Conference).
The boos that rained down were the evening’s soundtrack and he smiled the first time he heard them.
Kansas coach Bill Self thought the welcome McCullar received was exactly what should have happened. If it messed with McCullar at all, Self said it’s something McCullar had months to prepare himself for. And considering how critical the plays were that McCullar played late, regardless of what happened previously Self doesn’t think the Jayhawks win without him.
McCullar’s moments complemented those enjoyed by other Jayhawks (13-1, 2-0 in Big 12), like redshirt junior forward Jalen Wilson and freshman guard Gradey Dick. They came as redshirt junior guard Dajuan Harris Jr. and sophomore forward KJ Adams Jr. impressed time and again. Sophomore guard Bobby Pettiford Jr.'s play also caught Self’s eye.
“Every night we’ve got a different guy that can step up,” McCullar said. “That’s what great teams got to have to make a long run in this thing, and we all have been around the game for a while and played a lot of college ball and there’s going to be tough road games that you’ve got to pull out in the Big 12 and tonight was one of those.”
The next time McCullar goes up against the Red Raiders, he’ll have the Kansas faithful inside Allen Fieldhouse behind him. It’ll be Feb. 28, a contest that’s already set to tip off in a primetime slot. And not long after that, postseason play will begin.
It’s too soon to say what that future game will mean to McCullar’s chances at winning a Big 12 regular season title with the Jayhawks. There’s close to two months between then and now. But at the very least, McCullar’s homecoming of sorts this week saw Kansas pick up its first road win in conference play and that will certainly play a factor in the weeks ahead.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball, Kevin McCullar Jr. top Big 12-foe Texas Tech
