Johnny Furphy Jacks his Career-Best Figures as Kansas Firms their Grip in the Big-12

Kansas lit up the Big-12 Conference with their 10th consecutive home victory. The Jayhawks got their 4th Conference win in a nail-biter 74-69 win over Cincinnati. While all eyes were on their towering center Hunter Dickinson, it was their No. 10 Johnny Furphy who kept the crowd on its feet.

The freshman stole the show at the Allen Fieldhouse with his standout double-double. As a result, the home team held their nerves in the closing moments to come out victorious for the 16th time this season.

Johnny Furphy impresses the expert panel

Jeff Goodman, Tyler Hansbrough, and Terrence Oglesby evaluated Kansas’ marginal win over the Bearcats in the latest episode of The Field Of 68: After Dark. Jeff Goodman started the conversation by describing the contributions of the freshman in getting the Jayhawks over the line. He said, “Johnny Furphy has arrived finally. Bill Self has decided that the only way we’re gonna have a chance to go to the Final Four or win a National title is to feed this young freshman minutes.”

Apparently, the 6’9″ guard delivered his career-best figures on Monday. In his 36 minutes on the hardwood, he finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Goodman further added, “He’s making shots, He’s playing aggressively. He’s fighting and to me, this gives them the X-Factor that they’ve needed all year. Another option, a fifth guy, a scorer, a shooter.”

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Consequently, Johnny is slowly climbing up the ranks in the Kansas locker room.

How has the season been so far for the freshman?

The small forward from Melbourne, Australia is currently occupying the fifth position in terms of his numbers overall. In the 18 games played so far, he has accumulated 113 points at an average of 6.6 points per game. In addition to this, he has also grabbed 54 rebounds at the rate of 3.2 per contest. Further, he is the second-best 3-point shooter on the team holding an accuracy of 37.3% from beyond the arc. Also, his field goal percentage of 47.6 places him fourth in his team.

Clearly, the stepping up of a freshman puts the icing on the cake for the already formidable Kansas. Currently placed at the third position in the Big-12 conference, the Jayhawks have proven themselves to be worthy contenders to make it to the Final 4 this season. We will have to wait and see if the team’s current combination brings them the desired results in the latter part of the competition.

What are your thoughts on Johnny Furphy’s performance? Let us know in the comments below.

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