As of Jan. 4, the Kansas Jayhawks are ranked number one in the college basketball rankings. This has come from powering through a non-conference schedule with only one loss while also winning the championship of the Maui Invitational tournament out in Hawaii. This ranking means more at the end of the season, but let’s take a look at what the Jayhawks have going for them right now.
Experience.
For the first time since the 2013 season, the Jayhawks have a band of upperclassmen that have gone through this before. The past two seasons they relied on the likes of freshman standouts Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid and Kelly Oubre, due to not having many key juniors or seniors. Now, this team is bolstered with two seniors and two juniors in the starting line-up alone.
Depth.
To start the season, head coach Bill Self used a consistent rotation of 11 players but, of course, this number will be reduced down the stretch. The post is lined with starters Perry Ellis and Hunter Mickelson, is backed up with veterans Jamari Traylor and Landen Lucas while being pushed for playing time by freshmen Carlton Bragg and Cheick Diallo. Frank Mason, Devonte’ Graham and Wayne Selden hold down the front court while being relieved by sharp shooters Brannen Greene and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk off the bench.
Reliability.
Self has recently gone to the offensive system with two point guards on the court at the same time; Graham and Mason handle this job. Together the tandem averages nine assists per game. These two run the show and turn the ball over very rarely. With that much responsibility means that they will play more often; they both average over 30 minutes per game which means you won’t see them on the bench together unless the team is up comfortably to let Tyler Self and Evan Manning navigate.
Accuracy.
“Live by the three, die by the three”. This cliché may be true but right now, the three-pointer is what is working for the Jayhawks. Five players are averaging over 40 percent from behind the arc; that is lead by 62 percent by Greene and 55 percent by Selden. Shooters are passers’ best friends, so no wonder the two point guard system has been dominant so far.
Superstars.
Notice that the word is plural. In the past the Jayhawks would be a one man show when it mattered most, sometimes without even knowing who that one man would be. This year, they are spoiled with two. Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden both average over 15 points a game. They have the ability to take over a game when they want to. They are each finally in a role to succeed: Ellis is playing with another big man who compliments his style and Selden is playing with two guards who can set him up for open looks.
The last time the Kansas Jayhawks had this kind of experience, depth, reliability, accuracy and these kind of superstars, Massachusetts Street was stormed after they knocked off Memphis in the National Championship. The storylines and correlations of this year’s team are eerily similar to those of the 2007-08 team. Let’s hope the results are, too.
