Inside why Shakeel Moore entered Kansas basketball’s starting lineup for UCF matchup

Over the course of the season, Kansas basketball coach Bill Self has gone with some different starting lineups.

Of course, graduate center Hunter Dickinson, senior forward KJ Adams, and graduate guard Dajuan Harris Jr. have all been among the team’s five regular starters. But the combination with them hasn’t always been consistent. Ahead of this past Sunday’s game at UCF, four different guards had started with those three veteran Jayhawks at one point or another.

It might not come as much of a surprise then that, as Self has continued to work through what Kansas’ rotation will look like, for the UCF game graduate Shakeel Moore became the fifth guard to start with that veteran trio for Kansas at some point this season. That’s even as Moore has been limited at times this season due to injury.

In what became a 99-48 win for the now-No. 12 Jayhawks (10-3, 1-1 in Big 12 Conference), Moore played a season-high in minutes and collected six points, six assists, and three rebounds along the way.

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“He really came in with a passion defensively,” Dickinson told reporters postgame about Moore. “I think that’s where he’s going to help us the best, is being a dog defender, being somebody who can pick up 94 feet and really change the game defensively, and really help (Harris) out.

Because (Harris) is a great defender, but having another guy out there with him — and then, he’s just a basketball player. He’s super athletic. Coming off ball screens and stuff like that adds a bit of athleticism that can always help with us offensively as well.”

Self, who acknowledged postgame he’d been struggling with which players to start, indicated Moore’s part in the starting lineup had to do with which opponent Moore could match up against. That, as Dickinson discussed, would help out Harris. So, one could wonder how much Kansas’ starting lineup could vary game-to-game as Self and company look to take advantage of the right matchups moving forward.

Self also talked about wanting guys who play hard and create havoc, because while someone might not always hit their shots if they don’t let the opponent score then they aren’t going to lose. Moore is someone who Self thinks gives the team a chance to have that mentality. Moore’s defensive prowess was talked about before he ever took the court for the Jayhawks this season, after transferring in from Mississippi State.

So far this season, Moore is averaging 2.5 points, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 rebounds per game — while averaging 8.1 minutes per appearance. While those numbers don’t pop off of a stat sheet, remember he’s played in just six games to date as he’s recovered from injury and just had his first start. Whether he continues to start or returns to having a role off of the bench, it’s not as if he approaches either with a different mindset.

“I actually don’t see a difference,” said Moore, who looks to bring energy regardless. “I’ve kind of been around the block, this is my fifth year, so I’ve just — I kind of know what to expect coming into the game or starting.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.