It may not be March yet, but big bets and bigger expectations are the norm in college basketball. For the Kansas Jayhawks, the $1.5 million gamble on their shiny new addition AJ Storr—to energize an already promising team under the legendary Bill Self—was a sure thing. But, as the season unfolds, that investment is starting to look more like a cautionary tale. Instead of dominating the Big 12, Kansas finds itself stumbling, and Storr’s struggles have become the center of attention. Let’s just say it hasn’t been the season Jayhawks fans were dreaming of.

When AJ Storr transferred to Kansas from Wisconsin, he arrived with a lot of hype—and a hefty price tag to back it up. His reputation as a dynamic scorer raised expectations sky-high, but so far, those expectations have crashed back to earth. Take Kansas’ shocking loss to West Virginia, for example. It wasn’t just any loss; it snapped a 32-year streak of winning Big 12 openers. Storr played 15 minutes in that game and didn’t score a single point.

It wasn’t an isolated incident. Against Houston, Storr played 18 minutes and, once again, failed to score. His missed free throws didn’t help either. Podcaster Dan Katz summed it up bluntly on The Mark Titus Show. “AJ Storr does s-cks. He missed two free throws. I was just sitting there, laughing and thinking, ‘Haha, $1.5 million for this? He really s-cks.”  

Those harsh words captured what a lot of fans are starting to wonder: Was this investment worth it? For the hosts, they were for Storr.

But it’s not just Storr. The whole Jayhawks team has been struggling to live up to their preseason hype. Kansas was supposed to be a powerhouse this year, entering the season as the preseason No. 1 team. They’ve been sliding down the rankings instead, and their once-feared offense has become a source of frustration.

One of the most glaring issues? Shooting. It’s tough for the Jayhawks to space the floor, or get a scoring opportunity, with 2 players on the team shooting better than 33% from three. And this has only made it more difficult for Kansas to find any sort of offensive rhythm with its reliance on non-shooters like KJ Adams and Dajuan Harris. Throw in defensive lapses, and it’s been a recipe for frustration.

To be fair, this isn’t just a Kansas problem. The Big 12 is stacked this year. Bill Self himself admitted, “This is the hardest year to win in our league.” And it’s easy to see why. It’s make or break with the 20–game conference schedule, where one slip up can be fatal. For Kansas, every game is a battle and they have found themselves short for more games than not.

Amid the chaos, signs of hope rise for Bill Self

It’s interesting, especially given their struggles, that the Jayhawks are ranked in the top 25 and still rank as a strong team in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index. Disappointing in terms of preseason expectations, their current fifth place standing in the Big 12 isn’t the end of the world. If Bill Self and his staff can find a way to get more consistent performances out of players like Storr, a late-season surge isn’t out of the question.

For now, all Kansas fans can hope is that this is a rough patch. But time is running out, and the Jayhawks have the talent, the coaching, and the opportunity to climb back out of the hole. But for them to make a deep postseason run, they’ll need better shooting, tighter defense, and, most of all, better contributions from key players like Storr.

As for Bill Self, he’s facing one of the toughest seasons of his career. The $1.5 million gamble on AJ Storr may have turned into a punchline for now, but the story isn’t over. If anyone can rally a team and silence the critics, it’s Self. The question is, will he? For Kansas, the clock is ticking, and the Big 12 isn’t getting any easier.