Ochai Agbaji has 147 career 3-pointers. (Kansas Athletics Photo)
Kentucky fans have legitimate reasons to believe that Oscar Tshiebwe should be the top candidate for national player of the year honors. However, Kansas coach Bill Self believes his 6-5 senior guard, Ochai Agbaji, is the nation’s best player.
“That’s the best player in the country right now to date. And no one can say they’ve made more clutch plays than what he has for us this year,” said Self after Agbaji scored a career-high 37 points Monday in a 94-91 double overtime win over Texas Tech.
He made 13 of 23 shots from the field, including seven of 12 from 3-point range, and also had seven rebounds, two assists and one steal. He has played in 102 games — and started 77 straight — and made 147 career 3-pointers. He’s averaged 13 points, four rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in his career.
Agbaji sounded a lot like Kentucky players did after their win over Mississippi State when he talked about the will to win against Texas Tech, a team that beat Kansas earlier this season.
“When we went to overtime I thought it was the (Kansas City) Chiefs (playoff) game. They won at all costs and we have to do the same thing. That mentality that we kept that we had on Saturday,” the Kansas guard said. “Whether we’re down five, down six, or whatever, don’t count us out. We have the offensive ability and the defensive mindset to get stops and also get good shots and be aggressive and put pressure on the defense.”
He said winning at Kansas State Saturday and then beating Texas Tech Monday made the Jayhawks tougher going into this Saturday’s game with No. 12 Kentucky.
“It showed our conditioning through these last two games. And just our toughness as a team, to fight for Coach, fight for this program and this school. I love it,” Agbaji said.
Kansas has won five straight games going into Saturday’s game with Kentucky. ESPN College GameDay will broadcast live beginning at 11 a.m.
“The thing about the Kentucky game –it’s the winningest and second-winningest programs of all time. It’s the bluest of the bloods – us, Kentucky, Duke, and (North) Carolina –the bluest of the bloods. We get to hook up and the game really doesn’t mean much,” Self said.
“Let’s call it like it is. It means pride, it means all that stuff, but it is not going to impact if each of us winning the league. It may impact (NCAA Tournament) seeding align, but we should just let it go and play.
“Our guys will be so jacked, and their guys will too. That’s going to be a big boy game.”
