Why Bill Self thought Johnny Furphy ‘played really well’ as a starter for Jayhawks

The Kansas men’s basketball team looked different on Saturday.

No, it wasn’t just the fact that Kansas set a program record with only two turnovers after 18 turnovers apiece in the previous two games.

Neither was it just that the No. 3-ranked Jayhawks dominated the No. 9 Sooners, winning 78-66 at Allen Fieldhouse. A dominant win against a quality opponent has been a rare sight for Kansas this season

It was another thing that helped make the Jayhawks stand out.

It was what resulted from a move that Kansas coach Bill Self announced on Friday — that freshman Johnny Furphy would start instead of fellow freshman Elmarko Jackson.

From the beginning of the game, the energy from KU’s starting lineup felt reinvigorated.

Instead of a slow start, KU raced to a 12-4 with Furphy making his presence felt.

First, he hustled and got an offensive rebound that gave KU another possession, though Hunter Dickinson ended up missing the subsequent shot.

Then Furphy did it again less than a minute later, leading to a KJ Adams jumper.

Finally, a minute after that, Furphy capped it off with a nice fastbreak layup that gave Kansas a 12-4 lead at the 16:01 mark.

Not long after, Self did a double-fist pump and butt-tapped Furphy when Furphy came toward the bench for a media timeout.

“The way you win games is you get 70% of the 50/50 balls, so over 20 possessions you just got eight more possessions than your opponent,” Self said. “We’ve taken great pride in that, but we haven’t been great at that. And I thought Johnny got us about three of those today.”

Furphy’s play also left his teammates impressed.

“Just the pace of how fast he — he can get up off the break, you can throw him transition passes and he’s a guy you have to guard,” KU forward Adams said of Furphy. “He had a good night tonight. Especially with the confidence — we try to give him, as much confidence as we can. He’s just a really good player for us when he’s out there.”

Furphy only played 19 minutes due to foul trouble, but he finished with seven points and three rebounds.

While it’s a modest total, it’s something KU has lacked from its fifth option on offense with Jackson starting. Jackson scored zero points in Kansas’ previous two games.

Self liked what he saw from the Australian Furphy.

“He played really well,” Self said. “I was disappointed he got two fouls early because I would have kept him in. In the second half, he was on a roll, but he got tired. I thought he did great.”

As for Jackson, who scored his first bucket in three games:

“I thought he played better off the bench,” Self said.

For the Jayhawks’ starting lineup that has struggled to score at times, Self might have cracked the code.

Not only does Furphy’s play match the eye test that KU’s starting lineup is better with him in it, but the numbers back it up. According to CBB Analytics, KU’s net rating with the core four (Adams, Dickinson, Dajuan Harris) and another player is highest with Furphy in the lineup.

For the Jayhawks, who have title aspirations, it could be a change that pays further dividends.