Kansas basketball coach Bill Self turned to Zach Clemence against Oklahoma, and he delivered

LAWRENCE — As the 3-pointer fell through the net with about seven minutes left, Zach Clemence didn’t waste a moment before he let his emotions pour out.

Kansas basketball’s freshman forward raised his right arm toward the sky in celebration. He turned toward his own bench with something to say, as so many of his teammates rose up to celebrate along with him as he backpedaled his way back on defense. There were a number of pivotal moments over the course of the Jayhawks’ win Saturday against Oklahoma, but that bucket is the only one that can boast of giving Kansas the lead for good.

Clemence was sitting between redshirt sophomore forward Jalen Wilson and junior guard Christian Braun after the 71-69 victory. They were speaking with reporters about Clemence’s shot, of course, but his defensive effort as well. Jayhawks head coach Bill Self didn’t call upon Clemence until just beyond the midway point of the second half, and Clemence made the most of the nearly nine minutes he spent on the floor.

“Honestly, just being out four weeks really gets to you,” said Clemence, who hadn't played since Jan. 8 due to an injury Self described as a broken toe. “So when I got back in, it was just — it was like playing basketball for the first time. So it felt good.”

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Clemence said the message he received before entering the game was to guard the pick-and-pop, presumably on Sooners senior forward/center Tanner Groves, because that’s something Kansas had been struggling with. As Self tells it, the goal was for Clemence to make easy plays, not shoot unless he was wide open, and then hedge on ball screens and get back on Groves. Groves, who finished with 19 points and a 4-for-11 mark on 3s, never scored after Clemence came in.

Had the Jayhawks lost, the conversation surrounding Clemence’s shot would have resembled that of the conversation surrounding Clemence’s play against Texas Tech. Meaning, it likely wouldn’t be brought up much at all. The two free throws Clemence missed, on a day Kansas went 13-for-23 from the free-throw line, potentially would have been a bigger part of the conversation.

But Clemence’s shot can be coupled with his defensive effort. And Kansas did win. Braun could spend a moment postgame poking fun at Clemence, joking they never really listen to Clemence when asked if he knew what Clemence was saying after hitting the 3-pointer.

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“It was a big shot,” said Braun, who had 18 points and eight rebounds. “Like he said, it was more important that he came in and guarded Groves’ pick-and-pop. But when he came in he was super confident, so we knew when he took the shot he was going to hit it and that’s his favorite shot — pick-and-pop from the top of the key.”

Wilson, who led the Jayhawks with 22 points and nine rebounds, added: “He’s always confident in practice. So I had no problem throwing it to him, knowing that that shot was going in, and especially at the top of the key like (Braun) said.”

Clemence’s opportunity seemed to arise because senior forward David McCormack wasn’t delivering enough defensively and because Kansas' bench players weren't delivering much of anything. It wasn’t a stellar day for Kansas’ non-starters. Outside of Clemence, none of them hit a shot, grabbed a rebound or dished out an assist.

Next up for the Jayhawks is Oklahoma State on Monday at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas beat the Cowboys earlier this season as McCormack went for a 17-point and 15-rebound double-double.

So maybe Clemence won't get the same chance he had Saturday. But he certainly played a key role in the latest Jayhawks victory. And he did so after practicing only twice in recent weeks, Self said.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball gets boost from freshman Zach Clemence vs. Oklahoma