After an Average Performance in the Big 12, Can the Kansas Still Be Contenders to the Conference Title?

Not every win is a reason to celebrate. The Kansas Jayhawks have proven this adage right when they won their recent game against the Oklahoma Sooners. Though, they have a 2-1 tally in the conference and a 14-2 record, the Jayhawks don’t look geared up to win the Big 12.

Surprisingly, the third-ranked team in the AP men’s polls has been projected to occupy the sixth spot in the Big 12 in the Ken Pom as told by Gary Parrish.

How have the Jayhawks performed?

The Kansas Jayhawks have a lop-sided record of winning 24 games against the Oklahoma Sooners at the Allen Fieldhouse. The Sooners haven’t won a single game in that building since 1993. But it can’t cover the fact that the Jayhawks had an abysmal three-pointer record in this game, scoring only 20% of the total three-pointer shots they took. This was the worst record for the Jayhawks since the commencement of the tournament. 

For the Kansas, two of their star players stood up to the task of defeating their rivals. Their center Hunter Dickinson and guard Kevin McCullar Jr. throttled 24 and 21 points against the Sooners. Another outstanding player for the Jayhawks was their forward KJ Adams Jr. who soused a spectacular 15 points.

On the defensive end Adams and Dickinson unleashed a rampage as they nabbed 10 and 14 rebounds respectively. Thus, the two players inched to a double-double against the Sooners.

While the Jayhawks were quite close to the Sooners with a 38-37 tally in the first half, the Jayhawks performed splendidly in the second with a 40-29 tally. With this win the Kansas recovered to some extent after their disappointing loss to the UCF Knights.

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However, the Kansas chances of winning the Big 12 are in danger, This is because the Big 12 is an absolutely cutthroat competitive league that might drown the Kansas.

Why are the Jayhawks in danger?

It has the Texas Tech and the Baylor who have won all their three conference games at the top. Then it has the Kansas, the TCU Horned Frogs, the Iowa State and the Kansas State. These teams have emerged victorious in 2 out of their three conference games, losing one each. And after that from the seventh position onwards, the Big 12 has the Houston Cougars and the Oklahoma Sooners and other teams.

The Kansas have won games against the Oklahoma Sooners recently and the TCU Horned Frogs, whereas they lost to the UCF Knights. Against the TCU, the Kansas looked little unsettled as they edged to an 83-81 win. Dickinson stood out as the alpha of the team in that game, basketing a humongous 30 points. He was helped in his pursuit of victory by Adams Jr. and McCullar Jr. who sozzled 18 and 16 points respectively.

Another guard to look up to was Dajuan Harris Jr. who scored 10 points. Again their defensive performance amid such a high-scoring game stood out. Dickinson and Adams Jr. grabbed 11 and 10 rebounds respectively. Though, they won the game, it can’t be ignored that the TCU fought neck to neck with them. The Kansas in this game had a lesser three-pointer and free throw percentage than their opponents.

While the TCU had a 38.1% three-pointer percentage, the Kansas had a 35.7% three-pointer percentage. And in the free throw tally, the TCU had 81.3% free throws whereas the Kansas could only cruise to 73.7% free throw percentage. This was a letdown to the Kansas considering they are ranked third in the AP men’s basketball polls. However, the Kansas faced  major disappointment when it lost to the UCF Knights.

The Kansas’s loss

The Knights scored 65 points as opposed to the Kansas’s 60. With the highest scorer in McCullar Jr. (16), the Kansas delivered quite an average performance. The other two high scorers were Adam Jr. and Dickinson. While Dickinson sloshed 12, Adams Jr. could just touch the double digits. Both the teams had their defenses at their best and the Kansas which was accustomed to high-scoring games suffered a lot.

The loss was completely uninvited for and unexpected. The Kansas Jayhawks again clocked a three-pointer percentage and free throw percentage lower than that of their opponents. The free throw percentage was significantly lower with 54.5% free throw percentage. In terms of blocks and steals too, the Jayhawks were behind their opponents with 2 blocks and 6 steals.

Losing to a team like the UCF wasn’t normal for the Kansas. And this made a lot of critics question their skill and if the Kansas would be able to make to the top in their conference. The Kansas can make an easy recovery of they follow a few steps.

How can the Kansas recover?

As per Ken Pom (h/t: Gary Parrish), the Kansas are projected to finish tied for sixth in the Big 12. This is not the ranking the Jayhawks would be satisfied with since they were projected as the top-tier team at the beginning of the competition and were at the center of winning this year’s NCAA tournament.

If the Kansas want to make a difference and give it back to their critics, then they will have to improve their three-pointer shooting percentage. They shouldn’t be missing as many chances as they have been now.

Other than that they will have to ameliorate their bench strength. Their players Elmarko Jackson and Johnny Furphy will have to better their game and give the desired support to their team. And surely, then the Kansas will be back in the race of being major contenders in the Big 12.

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