Seldom-used Kansas center Zach Clemence shows up big vs. OU: ‘Best feeling in the world’

Kansas basketball coach Bill Self had no idea which player to choose.

Oklahoma held an early two-point lead on Tuesday at Allen Fieldhouse, and Self needed to pick a bench big to sub in for starting 5-man KJ Adams.

Self saw two choices: 6-foot-10, 230-pound stretch big man Zach Clemence or 6-foot-9, 240-pound freshman Zuby Ejiofor.

As Self racked his brain to pick a reason for either big, a particular game from last season stuck out.

Clemence’s play in Kansas’ 71-69 victory over OU ... from 2022.

So Self subbed in the sophomore forward to give the Jayhawks an offensive boost — not to mention Clemence had impressed him in practice lately, too.

Clemence brought the energy ... and for the first time this season, a couple threes ... in the Jayhawks’ thrilling 79-75 victory over the Sooners in Allen Fieldhouse.

The forward scored 10 points on 3-for-6 shooting from the floor, including a perfect mark of 2-for-2 from three. He grabbed three rebounds in 12 minutes.

“I am glad I made that decision,” Self said postgame. “Those 10 points were really important for us.”

Coming into the season, many expected Clemence to start and play a pivotal role. Instead, the forward averages 0.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 5.5 minutes per game. He plays sporadic minutes off the bench behind Adams ... and usually others.

In fact, the 12 minutes he played Tuesday tied a season-high.

On Tuesday night, Clemence illustrated how his game provides a different element for Kansas.

When he came in, the forward provided a shot of energy to a sluggish KU team. Clemence first made a layup to put KU up 12-10 at the 12:11 mark.

A couple of minutes later, he showed off his range. KU wing Jalen Wilson spotted Clemence standing behind the arc and passed him the ball. Without hesitation, Clemence drained the three.

Clemence’s defender, OU forward Sam Goodwin, gave Clemence too much airspace. So naturally, Clemence punished the mistake.

Coming into the game, Clemence was 0-for-9 beyond the arc.

“Man, it just turned my whole attitude around,” Clemence said of making the first three on the Jayhawks’ ESPN+ postgame show. “It’s just the best feeling in the world.”

Roughly a minute later, Clemence showcased his shooting yet again. KU guard Bobby Pettiford drove to the right and drew two OU defenders before spotting Clemence wide-open beyond the arc. He whipped a pass to Clemence, who drained the three that put KU up (21-18) with 8:47 left in the first half.

The forward brings a new element to the Jayhawks when he plays and hits shots. Clemence provides an ability for KU to space the floor and play a five-out offense. When he’s in the game, he drags big men out of the paint due to the threat of his outside shooting.

Clemence’s issues, on the other hand, have been on the defensive end. He moves too slow laterally, so players beat him off the dribble. He also tends to over-help, which leaves his man open for shots.

“I do think we lost something defensively without Zuby in the game,” Self said.

The path to earning more minutes for Clemence starts with improving his defense and building off this performance.

Naturally, due to a lack of playing time, Clemence wasn’t very high on the Sooners’ scouting report.

“We weren’t expecting Clemence to take a pick and pop and hit two threes,” OU coach Porter Moser said. “Clemence came in and hit two big threes; he did a good job in the first half.”

No matter his role, Clemence is happy to beat a formidable conference opponent.

“Oklahoma is real physical,” he said. “ It was a physical game today and I think everyone noticed that. We fought it out. We came down and did what we’re supposed to do and came out with the W.”