Former Wisconsin star A.J. Storr had a quiet showing in Kansas’ 62-61 loss to West Virginia on Tuesday.
Storr, who played 15 minutes in the contest, finished with zero points, zero rebounds, zero assists and zero steals on 0-for-2 shooting and 0-for-1 from 3.
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Both Storr and K.J. Adams Jr. (two points, one rebound in 28 minutes) struggled to make an impact as the seventh-ranked Jayhawks were upset at home. Coach Bill Self shared a blunt evaluation of what he saw from the two players when meeting with the media postgame:
“Nothing,” Self said. “I didn’t really see much. They both had chances. But timid, not aggressive. I didn’t really see much. Our ball screen coverage to start the game, wow, was so bad. … A lot of those were situations where A.J. probably could have done better. But that’s my fault; I just don’t have him quite ready yet in that situation.”
Self elaborated on Storr’s lack of involvement after early defensive woes.
“They’ve had good practices,” the Kansas coach continued. “Sports are strange. You can feel good and have good intentions, then when somebody punches you in the mouth or staggers you, and there’s a screw-up or something like that, all of the sudden you’re not quite as aggressive and you’re not quite as confident, and therefore you’re not near as effective. That’s kind of what happened today with A.J. starting the game.”
Self on what he saw out of AJ Storr & Rylan Griffen today: "Nothing." #KUbball
— Matt Tait (@mctait) December 31, 2024
Storr has struggled to translate his top-end production at Wisconsin to his new team. His 2023-24 averages of 16.8 points and 3.9 rebounds on 43% shooting have dropped to 7.3 and 1.9, respectively. He has a combined 13 points and 10 rebounds on five-for-20 shooting and one-for-eight from 3-point range over the past four games. Kansas is 2-2 during that stretch, falling from its previous spot as the No. 1 team in the nation.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, hasn’t had much trouble replicating Storr’s production. Transfer wing John Tonje is averaging 19.2 points, five rebounds and two assists on 45% shooting, leading a Badgers offense that ranks No. 15 in KenPom.
Storr’s play at Kansas will continue to be a significant story as both the Jayhawks and Badgers look for strong starts to the 2025 calendar year.
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