LAWRENCE, Kan. — The anticipated tip-off with Andrew Wiggins and the Kansas Jayhawks brought hyped-up fans to Allen Fieldhouse Tuesday night for their first pre-season game.
FOX 4’s Eric Burke spoke with fans who were wigged out (in a good way) about the 18-year-old baller who remind so many of the first legendary Jayhawk Wilt Chamberlain.
As for the game itself, the Jayhawks got off to a slow start against the Gorillas of Pittsburgh State. Even with a 97-57 win over the Gorillas, Coach Bill Self said his team — with five new starters — played a little sloppy.
“I think we were nervous — really nervous,” Self said after the game. “And that’s understandable. The guys want to do good, but we played a little cool because we were nervous. I thought they took it to us pretty good and eventually our size wore them down.”
In all, Self said the game will be a “good teaching tape” for his team.
At the end of his postgame press conference, Self said junior point guard Naadir Tharpe will miss the regular season opener a week from Friday against Louisiana-Monroe, because Tharpe illegally played in an exhibition game this past summer in Chicago.
In another exhibition game, the Jayhawks will play Fort Hays State Tuesday, Nov. 5 at Allen Fieldhouse.
