Kansas Jayhawks
2021-2022 Overall Rank: #8
Conference Rank: #1 Big 12
By Kansas standards, the 2020-2021 season was a disappointing one. For the second time in the last three years, the Jayhawks have failed to win the Big 12 title. KU did manage to avoid the terrible seasons that haunted some of the other traditional college basketball powerhouses in 2020-2021 and finished the year 21-9 with a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. With four starters returning and an influx of talent coming via the transfer portal, Kansas should be able to start a new streak of conference titles.
2020-21 Record: 21-9, 12-6
2020-21 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Bill Self
Coach Record: 522-118 at Kansas, 729-223 overall
Key Departed Players:
Marcus Garrett, Guard, 11.0 ppg
Bryce Thompson, Guard, 4.6 ppg
Tyon Grant-Foster, Guard, 3.1 ppg
Tristan Enaruna, Guard/Forward, 2.8 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Ochai Agbaji, Senior, Guard, 14.1 ppg
David McCormack, Senior, Forward, 13.4 ppg
Jalen Wilson, Sophomore, Forward, 11.8 ppg
Christian Braun, Junior, Guard, 9.7 ppg
Mitch Lightfoot, Senior, Forward, 3.4 ppg
Dajuan Harris Jr, Sophomore, Guard, 2.4 ppg
Key New Players:
KJ Adams, Freshman, Forward
Zach Clemence, Freshman, Forward
Jalen Coleman-Lands, Senior, Guard, Transfer from Iowa State
Kyle Cuffe Jr, Freshman, Guard
Remy Martin, Senior, Guard, Transfer from Arizona State
Cam Martin, Senior, Forward, DII Transfer
Charlie McCarthy, Freshman, Guard
Bobby Pettiford, Freshman, Guard
Dillon Wilhite, Freshman, Forward
Joseph Yesufu, Sophomore, Guard, Transfer from Drake
Projection:
Ochai Agbaji is mostly a shooter, but he does that very well. The senior led the Jayhawks with 14.1 points per game and connected on 37.7 percent of his 207 three-point attempts. Jalen Wilson had an inconsistent freshman campaign, but the 6-8 forward is a solid rebounder who can stretch out the defense with his outside shooting. David McCormack will stay in the paint and the 6-10 senior ranked second on the team in points and rebounds. Christian Braun is a big guard who can score from anywhere on the floor and help out on the glass, but it is quite likely that he will spend this season coming in off the bench. Kansas needed to get some guards who could create their own offense and Coach Self went out and grabbed Remy Martin from Arizona State and Joseph Yesufu to fill that void. Martin is coming off a great season with Arizona State where he averaged 19.1 points and 3.7 assists. Yesufu tallied 12.8 points per game last season with Bulldogs. The backcourt will also welcome the well-traveled Jalen Coleman-Lands who will add another shooter to the roster. With Mitch Lightfood, Dajuan Harris and Missouri Southern State transfer Cam Martin adding more depth, Kansas should not have to rely on their freshmen right away. This class lacks a one-and-done type superstar, but it is a very good class full of four-star recruits. If any are ready, Coach Self will find a spot for them in the regular rotation, but it is nice to not have to rely on freshmen.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.0 (119th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.9 (77, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.6 (194, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.5 (66, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.6 (139, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.2 (146, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.6 (149, 4)
Rebound Margin: 2.9 (88, 2)
Assists Per Game: 13.8 (118, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.0 (83, 4)
Madness 2022 NBA Draft Rankings:
#48 Jalen Wilson
Madness 2021 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#38 Zach Clemence
#68 K.J. Adams
#96 Bobby Pettiford
#118 Kyle Cuffe Jr
