Kansas Basketball’s Up and Down Season

The Kansas Jayhawks have had their ups and downs this season, going from being ranked number one in preseason to currently being ranked number 12. This season has been challenging for Bill Self, and it will continue to be a tough road as they look for another National Championship. After losing in the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament, Kansas looked poised to dominate this year. They brought back three key starters, Dajuan Harris, Hunter Dickinson, and KJ Adams, and brought in several top transfers in Zeke Mayo, Rylan Griffen, AJ Storr, and Shakeel Moore; on top of that, they brought in a top freshman in Flory Bidunga. The Jayhawks are loaded with talent. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to gel together and consistently put together good performances. 

Kansas is elite on the defensive end, ranking fourth in defensive efficiency. The problem is on the offensive end, where they rank 32 in offensive efficiency. In their four losses this year, they averaged 62 points, 14 points below their overall season average. This deficiency on the offensive end is for several reasons, one of which is their three-point shooting. They currently rank 201 in three-point percentage, shooting a measly 33.33% this season. Bill Self hasn’t figured out his best lineups; he consistently opts for better defensive lineups with players like KJ Adams and Dajuan Harris. I’m not saying these players are the problem for their woes this year, as they both won a national championship in 2022. It adds to their three-point shooting problems because Bill Self consistently plays three players who cannot shoot. Dajuan Harris shoots 31% from three, KJ Adams hasn’t attempted a three all season, and Hunter Dickinson shoots 23%; this creates minimal space on the offensive end as teams can sag off and focus on the inside, which is where KU wants to do their damage. Luckily, KU secured several top offensive recruits in the transfer portal, such as Zeke Mayo, who shoots 37% from three, Rylan Griffen, who shoots 36% from three, and Shakeel Moore, who shoots almost 40% from three. These players have brought that spacing that KU so desperately needs to open up players like Hunter Dickinson, who was an All-American last year. 

Despite its sometimes lackluster offensive efficiency, KU is still 14-4 and in fourth place in the Big 12. Their expectations are so high every season that this is considered an off-year. However, they have already looked incredible in several games this year, beating Duke, North Carolina, and Michigan State. Still, there has been some backlash over Bill Self and his lineups. KJ Adams and Dajuan Harris won a National Championship in 2022; they are seasoned veterans with unique skills that most players don’t have. It must be brought up, though, that while they are spectacular on the defensive end, they have been lackluster on the offensive end this year. The criticism has been that they have opted to play more defensively for most of the game instead of using the depth and offensive firepower they have on the bench. This is a fair criticism, and I believe Bill Self should give more opportunities to players like Rylan Griffen, AJ Storr, and Shakeel Moore, who can take over a game with their shooting and unique offensive skillset at any moment. This season will be tough for KU, but we have seen Bill Self teams dominate near the end of the year before. This team is talented enough to win a National Championship; it will be about figuring out the most efficient lineups and having their veterans play at the level they are capable of.