Kansas Jayhawks
Big 12 (26-8, 13-5)
Many thought this would be the year that Kansas failed to win at least a part of the Big 12 title. With, as it turned out, a slew of very, very good teams in the conference, that certainly looked plausible entering conference action. But as time went on, Coach Bill Self’s young team was growing up and once again the Jayhawks ended the regular season with a Big 12 title.
Big Wins: 12/10 at Georgetown (75-70), 12/13 Utah (63-60), 1/7 at Baylor (56-55)
Bad Losses: 12/22 at Temple (52-77), 2/7 at Oklahoma State (62-67), 2/23 at Kansas State (63-70)
Coach: Bill Self
Why They Can Surprise:
Not many teams have as much pure talent as Kansas. Frank Mason III leads the backcourt with his 12.3 points and 4.0 assists per game. Mason has a pretty complete game and added a nice perimeter shot to his skillset as a sophomore. Speaking of shooters, Wayne Selden, Kelly Oubre and Brannen Greene all shoot over 36 percent from beyond the arc. Selden once again is struggling with inconsistency and turnovers, but the talent is certainly there. A player to watch during the NCAA Tournament may be freshman guard Devonte’ Graham. The reserve point guard is still coming into his own, but he has had some great showings down the stretch of the regular season. Perhaps there is even more talent in the frontcourt though. Perry Ellis is the team’s top scorer and rebounder with 13.8 and 7.0, respectively. Cliff Alexander is not as effective in the scoring department, but he is a strong rebounder and shot blocker. However, an NCAA investigation has kept him out since February 28th and it looks quite unlikely that he will be back for the NCAA Tournament.
Why They Can Disappoint:
This is not a typical Kansas team. By their standards, they are not that strong on the glass, nor do they work through the frontcourt to find a high shooting percentage as well as they did in 2013-2014. Despite the great three-point field goal shooting, the Jayhawks shoot just 44.1 percent from the floor. That is a bad number for a team that ranked seventh in the nation last year in field-goal percentage. But the biggest issue in the NCAA Tournament will be the team’s youth. Of the ten players who have seen quality minutes, four are freshmen, four are sophomores and two are juniors. With this much talent, youth is not always an issue, but it will be for this squad in March.
Probable Starters:
Frank Mason III, Sophomore, Guard, 12.3 ppg, 4.0 apg
Wayne Selden, Sophomore, Guard, 9.8 ppg, 2.8 apg
Kelly Oubre, Freshman, Guard, 9.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Perry Ellis, Junior, Forward, 13.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg
Jamari Traylor, Junior, Forward, 4.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Cliff Alexander, Freshman, Forward, 7.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg
Devonte’ Graham, Freshman, Guard, 5.3 ppg, 2.0 apg
Brannen Greene, Sophomore, Guard, 5.8 ppg
Landen Lucas, Sophomore, Forward, 3.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.9 (68th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.1 (140, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.1 (137, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.5 (33, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.1 (201, 7)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.3 (42, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.1 (70, 4)
Rebound Margin: 3.8 (64, 3)
Assists Per Game: 13.5 (100, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.5 (165, 6)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA Second Round win over Eastern Kentucky
2014 NCAA Third Round loss to Stanford
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Western Kentucky
2013 NCAA Third Round win over North Carolina
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Michigan
2012 NCAA Second Round win over Detroit
2012 NCAA Third Round win over Purdue
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over North Carolina State
2012 NCAA Regional Final win over North Carolina
2012 NCAA National Semifinal win over Ohio State
2012 NCAA National Final loss to Kentucky
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Boston U
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Illinois
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Richmond
2011 NCAA Regional Final loss to VCU
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Lehigh
2010 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Northern Iowa
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over North Dakota State
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Dayton
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Michigan State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Portland State
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over UNLV
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Villanova
2008 NCAA Regional Final win over Davidson
2008 NCAA National Semifinal win over North Carolina
2008 NCAA National Final win over Memphis
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Niagara
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Kentucky
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Southern Illinois
2007 NCAA Regional Final loss to UCLA
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
