Flory Bidunga responds to match Arizona’s physicality
Flory Bidunga didn’t make a basket until the 6:44 mark in the first half, throwing down a second-chance dunk. His matchup, Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas, had four buckets at that point often going straight over or through Bidunga.
Over the remainder of the game, Bidunga flipped the switch. He would go on to score 16 points in the second half on 6/7 shooting. Krivas scored three more buckets, but only had four shots compared to nine first-half looks. Kansas recovered from an 11-point deficit to beat Arizona 82-78.
“They have size, they’re strong,” Bidunga said postgame. “They got us beat, on you know, the first half, I would say so. But we came out in the second half and then fought even harder.
Bidunga followed a seven-block performance on Saturday with three against Arizona on Monday. His biggest block helped the Jayhawks seal the win. With a three-point lead and 17 seconds left, Bidunga denied Brayden Burries in the paint.
“I lowkey got beat,” Bidunga said of the play. “He brought me to the left side, then crossed to the right side. I’m quick enough to get back on track. I think just moved my feet really fast and then the ball was right there.”
Along with his defensive presence throughout the game, Bidunga took over offensively in the second half. He threw down an and-one dunk as he scored seven straight points for Kansas to take the lead as it clawed back from an 11-point deficit.
Bidunga, Kansas seal game on the defensive end
Arizona has forged an identity of dominating teams physically and inside the arc. 58.6% of the Wildcats’ shots come from two-point range, and they rank second in the country in rebound margin. Arizona only rebounded Kansas by four on Monday and held a slim 42-40 advantage in the paint.
Making adjustments over the course of the game, Bill Self opted to trap the post more in the second half. Over the last 10 minutes, Kansas slowed down Arizona’s offense to help seal the win. Krivas made only one shot, and a four-minute Arizona scoring drought helped the Jayhawks take the lead.
“To be honest with you, I really didn’t have an answer on how to stop that because it would just look like, to me, it was men out there playing,” Self said. “We weren’t able to match them physically. But the second half we did.”
Bidunga’s performance on Monday night earned him a hug from Self after the Jayhawks closed out the win. By Bidunga’s count, it’s the third hug Self has given him.
“He’s giving hugs now?” Bidunga said. “Oh yeah, we’ve got to cut him off.”
