Transfer Tapes: Jaylin Sellers Leads UCF to an Upset of Kansas
Our next Transfer Tape article takes a look at Jaylin Sellers leading UCF to an upset victory over Kansas. Sellers scored 18 points on an efficient 7-11 shooting from the field and 4-7 from beyond the arc.
Game: UCF defeats Kansas, 65-60, on Jan. 10, 2024
Setting the Stage:
Two seasons ago, Central Florida was new to the Big 12 and looking to make a statement against Kansas after falling (77-52) in their conference opener versus Kansas State.
The Jayhawks came into this game with a 13-1 record on the season and ranked #3 in the country, while UCF was in just their second Big 12 game in program history.
Kansas was led by Kevin McCullar (18.3/6.0/4.1), Hunter Dickinson (17.9/10.9/2.3), K.J. Adams (12.6/4.6/3.1), and Johnny Furphy (9.0/4.9)
Sellers was UCF’s leading scorer in the 2023-24 campaign, averaging 15.9 points per game on a team with some notable talent. Their second-leading scorer, point guard Darius Johnson, was pursued heavily by Providence coming out of high school. They also had an Ohio State transfer at center in Ibrahima Diallo, a big wing in Oregon transfer CJ Walker, former Florida/Illinois big Omar Payne, and Boston College transfer DeMarr Langford (the brother of former Friar Makai Ashton-Langford).
What stood out?
The building was alive from the opening tip, with UCF ripping off a 7-0 run to start the game — highlighted by a corner three and a monster dunk in transition from Sellers. “Sellers has a great, violent attack when he’s taking it to the rim,” ESPN’s color analyst raved in the first half.
Despite the hot start from UCF, it didn’t take Kansas long to regain control. They went on a 12-0 run of their own following an early timeout, and later pushed their advantage to 35-20. Sellers knocked down a pair of shots beyond the arc during this stretch, but Kansas seemed to be in complete control following their slow start.
UCF went on a 10-0 run late in the first half to get back into the game, as they trailed 37-29 at the break.
The second half saw UCF coach Johnny Dawkins throw a zone as Kansas that changed the course of the game. In the first five minutes of the half, Sellers made an athletic play to break up an alley oop and then nailed his fourth 3-pointer of the night to make it 40-39. Sellers then scored on a post move to give UCF its first lead since their 7-0 start.
Surprisingly, UCF simply went into bully mode over the final 15 minutes of the game. Diallo and Walker hit the glass hard, while Johnson made killer threes late.
Sellers (who split his time between defending high-scoring wing Kevin McCullar, a strong forward in KJ Adams, and a few possessions covering point guard Dajuan Harris) put the game away in the final minute on an acrobatic layup.
Sellers’ 18 points were a team high, and also marked the eleventh time in 14 games in which he scored 15 points or more to that point of the season. He played 36 minutes and did not record a turnover.
It was hard not to be impressed with the versatility and athleticism of Sellers after watching this one.
Let’s all hope that he stays healthy, he looks like an asset without question. A high flier with a nice stroke, we can never have enough of those guys on our team.