“Batman & Robin” lead Jayhawks’ backcourt
LAWRENCE, KAN.» Kansas coach Bill Self spent most of this season bemoaning the fact that Devonte Graham, his AllAmerica point guard, didn’t have a consistent sidekick to take the pressure off him.
Malik Newman swooped in just in time for the NCAA Tournament.
The transfer from Mississippi State finally bought into what Self has been demanding of him all season, and the result has been the finest performances of his career. Newman
He dropped 28 points when the top-seeded Jayhawks needed him against Seton Hall, had 17 points in a win over Clemson, then poured in 32 points — and all of their points in overtime — in an Elite Eight victory over Duke.
He’s also turned up the intensity on defense, rebounded the ball better, and allowed Graham to do what he does best: Make plays without having to have the ball in his hands.
“I just felt like he was forcing Devonte to do too much,” Self recalled, “but here of late, Devonte has a sidekick. Or you could even say Malik has a sidekick in Devonte, because Malik has been our best player for the last month.”
All resulting in a Final Four trip and a date with Villanova on Saturday night.
Of course, that raises another question: Who is Batman and who is Robin?
“I’m most definitely still Robin,” Newman said with a smile. “This is Devonte’s team. We know that, he knows that. I’m just trying to help as much as I can, just trying to take some pressure off.
“Coach was right about me throughout the season,” Newman continued. “I’d have a good game, Svi (Mykhailiuk) would have a good game. But it was never consistent.”
The irony of the superhero debate is that Graham had always played the role of Robin, the often-overlooked sidekick to Frank Mason III.
But when the national player of the year graduated last season, his career ending with a thud in an Elite Eight loss to Oregon, it was Graham who immediately became the face of the program — and a smiling, energetic face, too.
He lived up to those expectations most of this season, too. Graham scored 35 points backto-back against Toledo and Syracuse, and had three consecutive 20-point efforts to start league play. But when he struggled, as he did in a loss to Washington, the Jayhawks likewise stumbled.
The reality is that Graham hasn’t played his best during the NCAA Tournament, besides a dynamic second half in an opening-round win.