KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Sometimes these knuckle-headed, unwise-beyond-their-years, NBA wannabes actually make the right decision.

Take the Kansas' introspective redshirt sophomore at his locker Friday playing with the strands of his stringy beard while considering the best he has ever played.

"Confidence is at an all time right now," Jayhawks guard Malik Newman said.

It had better be. It was two years ago this month, Newman declared for the NBA Draft after one season at Mississippi State. He actually went to the 2016 NBA combine before pulling his name out of the draft.

The best thing Newman never did was sign with an agent.

Fast forward to Friday night. Newman has been the centerpiece of Kansas' drive to its 13th appearance in the Big 12 tournament title game after an 83-67 win over Kansas State.

Coming off a career-high 30 points against Oklahoma State on Thursday and 22 against Kansas State on Friday, he is the tournament MVP-in-waiting.

Not that he wouldn't be a great pro - at least in his mind - if he had stayed in the draft.

"I'd be in the NBA, that was the plan," Newman said. "Do whatever I can to get a job in the NBA. I was going to stay on somebody's roster."

Yeah, but there's a difference between being on somebody's roster and developing as a person and player. Even if the difference is millions of dollars.

Newman transferred after one inconsistent 2015-16 season at Mississippi State under Ben Howland. The Jackson, Mississippi, native never lived up to being a national top 25 prospect.

"I don't think that Ben trusted Malik," his father Horatio Webster told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. "So I think the feeling was mutual. I don't think they trusted each other."

Ask Bill Self to best describe Newman before his current hot streak and the same label emerges.

"Inconsistent," Self said, "but more good than not good. He's improved, he's driving the ball better. He's not a stationary shooter. But I still think everybody that studies our team would say when he's good we're a different team."

That's another way of saying one of the most deficient Kansas teams in Self's 15 years at KU, suddenly looks like it could make a legitimate NCAA Tournament run.

That's after losing forward Billy Preston (forever) to eligibility issues and center Udoka Azubuike (for now) to a sprained knee.

About 330 of the 351 Division I teams would be envious of what's left of the Jayhawks. They're playing with a pair of backup post players - Mitch Lightfoot and Silvio De Sousa - who have combined for 30 points and 28 rebounds in two Big 12 tournament games without Azubuike.

The remaining guards include Big 12 player of the year Devonte Graham and sharp-shooter Svi Mykhailiuk. But what puts this team over the top at the moment is Newman.

The sleek, 6-foot-3 specimen is a pure shooter on a team filled with them. That's what sustains Kansas. All those guards don't have to be hot at once. But it helps if they're all somewhat consistent.

During a season where he has averaged 12.8 points, in 11 of his 33 games Newman scored single digits. During one midseason stretch, he shot 35 percent and came off the bench for four straight games.

In the Big 12 tournament, he is 9 of 14 from the arc and shooting 65 percent overall.

"It almost looks like an ocean right now," Newman said. "Every time I raise my elbow I feel like it's going in."

That Kansas locker room was almost somber Friday night. In their minds, they needed to be better. They were almost grandfathered into another Big 12 championship game when K-State lost its top two scorers.

Forward Dean Wade was already out with a foot issue. Guard Barry Brown suffered an eye injury 1:17 into the game when he ran into Graham.

Newman scored 10 of KU's next 19 points. The tone was set.

"My teammates are talking with me, coaches are talking with me, me having little talks with myself," he said. "I think everything is going down the right road right now.

"I know I can shoot the ball. It used to be when I missed a shot, it was, 'C'mon you gotta lock that down.' There are 25 more shots to be shot during the course of the game. I don't really get down on myself about shooting it anymore. If I miss it, shoot the next one."

Yeah, but what top 25 player transfers? That sort of ranking means your next step is the NBA, not moving from Starkville to Lawrence.

"Throughout some of the [NBA] workouts my foot wasn't feeling the best," Newman said. "I was getting good feedback but it wasn't the exact feedback that I wanted. I figured, why not come back to school and work on my game and get another try later on?

"I think it was a great decision. It gave me time to better myself, mature as a young man. It gave my game time to mature also.

"Coach said to me before every game, 'Malik, don't think out there, just let it go.' ''

Right now, the mind of the tournament's MVP in waiting is blank.