Preview: KU basketball to face 'unbelievably talented' Evan Mobley, USC

INDIANAPOLIS — David McCormack has proved his worth to KU basketball over the second-half of the 2020-21 season. After a few shaky games to start the year, McCormack erupted for huge outings to spark the No. 3-seeded Jayhawks to some of their best wins of the season. 

KU's win vs. Baylor? McCormack went for 20 points and three blocks. The win over Tech in Lawrence? He went for 17 and nine boards. McCormack posted 23 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a win over Oklahoma State, and 24 points, 12 boards and three blocks the first time against the Cowboys, albeit in a loss. 

Then, in his return from COVID-19, McCormack went for 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in leading Kansas to a first-round NCAA Tournament win on Saturday. So you'll understand why USC coach Andy Enfield — KU will next face the No. 6-seeded Trojans — had plenty of praise for the KU big man on Sunday. 

“As good a big as we’ve faced all season,” Enfield said of McCormack. “Very dangerous low-block scorer.”

And yet, if you asked most Kansas fans, their focus would be on another big man — perhaps rightfully so. 

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While ambiguity still surrounds the status of Jalen Wilson, who is expected to play at less than 100 percent, per coach Bill Self, McCormack will be matched up with USC star Evan Mobley, a projected top-five pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Mobley, listed at 7-0, 215 pounds, was the No. 3 player in the 247Sports Composite for the 2020 class. He has lived up to the hype, averaging 16.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. 

(McCormack, for the record, has averaged 13.7 points and 6.2 rebounds on the season.)

“He’s unbelievably talented,” Self said of Mobley. “He’s extremely skilled. He can play behind the arc and certainly play within it. And he can put the ball [on the floor]. He’s a 7-footer that he can play with his back to the basket, obviously, but he’d probably rather face. Great passer. He’s a few pounds away from being an NBA All-Star. He’s that good. So that’s a big challenge.” 

He continued. 

“You think about Texas’ length and how much they bothered us with Kai Jones and [Jericho] Sims and [Greg] Brown,” Self said. I see the same type of stuff, but I think Evan is even longer than those guys. I think he’s even longer than Kai Jones. ... We’ve got to do a great job of keeping him in front of us but still yet pressuring him and not letting him get to his spots.” 

Two KU big men — McCormack and redshirt-senior Mitch Lightfoot — also spoke about the upcoming matchup on Sunday. 

“They’ve got some great players,” Lightfoot said. “They’ve got some young guys. The Mobley brothers [Evan and Isaiah Mobley], I feel like this last game we played against some really good brothers and then we play against [another set against USC]. They’re going to be great as well. And they have other players on the perimeter that are really solid players.”  

“It’s definitely one to look forward to,” McCormack added of the upcoming matchup, set for an 8:40 p.m. CT tip Monday on CBS. “But as far his future and all his accolades that’s going toward him, that’s something I really don’t — not take into account, but don’t really focus in on. ... It’s not player against player. It’s team against team. The team is the one who wins the game, not the individual.” 

To make that happen, McCormack said defense would be key. For USC, finding a way to stop McCormack is part of the equation. 

“McCormack outweighs Evan. He’s very physical,” Enfield said. “McCormack is a different type of big than Evan. He’s more of a low block, physical duck-in guy.”

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He continued. 

“They’re very big. All their guards are 6-5, 6-6, and they have shot-blocking with McCormack,” Enfield added. “They have great size across their roster. They keep everything on one side of the floor and they play very hard.” 

Isaiah Mobley, in fact, said his matchup with McCormack on the inside would be a "dog fight."

"He's a big dude, he's extremely active," Isaiah Mobley added. "He's a good dude. He has a high IQ. He has a high motor. He's real active. And he's overall a big fella'."