Back in the starting lineup, Johnny Furphy delivers for Kansas basketball in Oklahoma win

LAWRENCE — It’s not uncommon for college basketball coaches to let their frustrations show, and the passion Oklahoma coach Porter Moser had Saturday certainly showcased itself.

There were moments during the Sooners’ game against Kansas when Moser questioned calls the officials made inside Allen Fieldhouse. There were moments when miscues by his own players elicited separate reactions. But postgame, after Oklahoma’s 78-66 defeat in Lawrence, there was one instance Moser referred to as probably the most frustrated he ever was during the loss.

That play Moser referenced came early in the second half, with the score tied 42-42. Jayhawks freshman guard Johnny Furphy got behind the Sooners’ defense and delivered a resounding dunk in transition. The play helped Kansas garner some momentum in a second half it would largely control.

It was only a day earlier that Jayhawks coach Bill Self had revealed Furphy would reenter the starting lineup for his side, in place of fellow freshman guard Elmarko Jackson. It was only a day earlier that Self had revealed they wanted to try something different. And in the first opportunity to take advantage of that opportunity, Furphy delivered for Kansas — with more than just that dunk — in a matchup of top-10, Big 12 Conference programs.

“I thought he played really well,” Self said about Furphy. “I was disappointed he got two fouls early, because I would have kept him in. And in the second half, he was on a roll, did some good things, but he got tired. He asked to come out. So — but I thought he did great.”

A little more conditioning, a little more awareness defensively, and Furphy likely ends up with a season-high in minutes. Regardless, he still finished with seven points, three rebounds and a couple steals. Across the win for No. 3 Kansas (14-2, 2-1 in Big 12), Self thought Furphy won the Jayhawks a few 50-50 balls that Self considers so vital to capturing a victory.

Sure, Furphy has scored more points in a game before and hit more shots from the field. He’s grabbed more rebounds and dished out more assists. But as Kansas looks to maximize what it’s able to do with its four core starters on the floor, those being redshirt senior guard Dajuan Harris Jr., graduate senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr., junior forward KJ Adams Jr. and senior center Hunter Dickinson, Furphy provided a glimpse of what’s possible.

That’s not to say Jackson, who had started each of the previous 15 games, can’t be an integral part of what the Jayhawks attempt to do this season. Self praised Jackson postgame and said Jackson seemed more in rhythm than Jackson’s looked in the past. But Self also highlighted he thought the offense flowed better with Furphy in the game against No. 9 Oklahoma (13-3, 1-2 in Big 12), and Furphy’s also improving defensively as the season progresses.

“Just a pace of just how fast he is,” said Adams, asked what Furphy provides the starting lineup. “He can get up off a break. You can throw him transition passes, and he’s a guy you have to guard. He had a good night tonight, especially with the confidence — which I give him as much confidence as we can. He’s just a really good player for us when he’s out there.”

Furphy, who now has two starts in 15 appearances this season, doesn’t need to all of a sudden become one of Kansas’ leading scorers. He doesn’t need to press his development to a rate that isn’t feasible at this point. He just needs to continue to showcase the talent he is capable of being with the consistency that’s required of someone who’s going to receive more minutes.

Do that, and the Jayhawks will continue to be in a position to compete for another Big 12 regular season title. Do that, and there’ll be more room for those like Adams and Dickinson to operate on the court offensively because Furphy — as Moser pointed out — can be a threat shooting the ball. Next up after Oklahoma for Furphy and company is a game Tuesday on the road against Oklahoma State.

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Johnny Furphy delivers for Kansas basketball in Oklahoma victory