Bill Self led his team to his third career Final Four appearance on the backs of Devonte Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk, two four year seniors. In addition to March star Malik Newman, Kansas lost the bulk of their perimeter scoring last year. Self has just reloaded again, by adding three transfers who sat out last year including potential Big 12 Player of Year candidate Dedric Lawson. Supplementing the three transfers is a recruiting class featuring three McDonald’s All-Americans.
The Jayhawks will be going after their 15th straight Big 12 title which would break the tie they share with UCLA as of now. Although multiple Big 12 schools are ranked in the latter half of our preseason top 30, Kansas State is the only school with a real shot to dethrone the Hawks. Until someone finally does it, it will be hard for anyone to bet against Bill Self and the Jayhawks.
Key Returners
- Lagerald Vick
- Udoka Azubuike
Kansas returns these two starters off their Final Four team from last year each of which should have solid years. Lagerald Vick returned to the team late after originally declaring for the draft then looking to transfer. Azubuike also declared for the draft but returned soon after the combine. While Azubuike should claim his spot at the five spot for the Jayhawks while Vick’s starting position is no longer promised after his late return. Kansas will need Vick to be at his best like the player who averaged 17 points a game in last year’s nonconference portion. He will also be relied upon as their best three-point shooter as the Jayhawks lost most of their shooting and their recruits aren’t knockdown shooters. In Azubuike’s case with Kansas returning to the traditional three guards, two bigs it should help Kansas and Azubuike’s rebounding as he and the team struggled with that last year. These two are also expected to fill the leadership void left by Graham as well this year.
Key Losses
- Devonte Graham
- Svi Mykhailiuk
- Malik Newman
All three of these losses will be felt throughout the season but especially at the very beginning of it. Anytime you need to replace a first-team All-American it’s a tough task, especially when that player is a point guard. Graham oftentimes played all 40 minutes for Kansas and controlled all aspects of the team. That responsibility will now be placed between two guys in freshman Devon Dotson and sophomore transfer Charlie Moore from Cal. Mykhailiuk emerged as a serious weapon as a senior after years of teasing Kansas fans with his obvious potential. Malik Newman was hot and cold all year but absolutely broke out in March. This included being named Big 12 Tournament MVP and Regional MOP after a 32 point performance against Duke in the Elite Eight. All three perimeter players will be sorely missed especially for their experience and leadership but Kansas has tons of talent to replace them.
Key Newcomers
- Devon Dotson
- Quentin Grimes
- David McCormack
- Dedric Lawson
- K.J Lawson
- Charlie Moore
Self brought in another loaded recruiting class, this time he mixed in a few elite level transfers. The three high school recruits in Dotson, Grimes, and McCormack were all named McDonald’s All-Americans. Grimes was apart of the U-18 USA team that competed this past summer and won gold. That team was actually coached by Bill Self giving them both a headstart on building a real game coaching relationship. Grimes is a smooth combo guard that Self has already said he could envision at both guard spots during the year something Self loves in his guards. Dotson is lightning quick in the open floor and off the dribble in the half court but needs to continue to develop his outside shot. McCormack has lost a ton of weight in the past couple of years and completely changed his body. This has led to better conditioning and his motor has absolutely skyrocketed because of it. News out of Lawrence is he is already the hardest worker on the team in terms of effort on the court which is pushing every other big.
The transfers that are eligible this year are the biggest reason KU is rated the preseason number one team. When you add a potential first-team All-American in Dedric Lawson who Bill Self has already called his best passer ever at Kansas it’s a big deal. Lawson has changed his body after a season working out with noted strength coach Andrea Hudy and has also worked to further extend his range. His brother K.J figures to play a role in the team’s plans as well after averaging 8 rebounds a game in his last year at Memphis. K.J will likely play some small forward and a few minutes a game as a small ball four in the Jayhawks small lineup they’ve run exclusively the last two years. Charlie Moore is competing with Dotson for the starting point guard role although Self sees him as more of a two guard in a point guards body. Moore is small like Dotson and is also quick and figures to be one of the teams better shooters as well.
Projected Starting Lineup
G: Devon Dotson
G: Quentin Grimes
G: Marcus Garrett
F: Dedric Lawson
C: Udoka Azubuike
Kansas has the luxury of knowing their two starting frontcourt positions are locked in. Azubuike will retain his spot at the center position from last year. The coaching staff has raved about Lawson since he showed up with Bill Self already starting the Conference Player of the Year chatter. Quentin Grimes, a top ten freshman recruit is another person who should probably be penciled in as well. His showing over the summer with Team USA and talent alone should allow him to slide into that combo position Self loves. The other two guard spots are what’s up for grabs in the Kansas starting lineup. Self usually gives the upperclassmen the start early in the year which would mean Charlie Moore gets the nod at the point guard spot. But Self has raved about Dotson and his quickness and his raw talent may be enough to squeeze out Moore earlier than most expect. The third guard spot ultimately I think falls to Marcus Garrett, a prototypical Bill Self guard. Garrett is long, smart, can pass and handle the ball and from his first game was KU’s best defender last year. Self has a tough decision between Garrett and Lagerald Vick but he may decide Vick is a solid sixth man to help with bench scoring.
Season Outlook
The past two seasons KU has had a lack of depth and been forced to play their starters upwards of 33-36 minutes a game. Devonte Graham went through a month stretch last year where he played all 40 minutes every game. This year the team is so loaded with talent there has been some talk of players on the fringe possibly redshirting. Those two players most likely to redshirt are junior Mitch Lightfoot who lost the backup big man job come March to mid-season enrolee Silvio De Sousa. The other is freshman wing Ochai Agbaji who has surprised folks in Lawrence but as a late riser in high school may benefit from a redshirt.
With all this talent it will interesting to watch how Self doles out playing time and finds the right personnel combinations. Some of Self’s best teams have actually been his ones with less depth like his last two Final Four teams in 2012 and 2018. Even with that, there is no doubt Self will enjoy getting back to his hi-lo system with two big men patrolling the paint. KU’s defense slipped the last two years without two bigs to help finish defensive possessions with rebounds too. With two bigs and the game moving more towards spacing the floor that could affect their offense. The team is already facing a lack of proven shooters outside of Lagerald Vick. The coaching staff is hoping Lawson’s three-point percentage will rise from the low 30s he shot while at Memphis.
This year is for the solo record in terms of the conference streak. They are tied with UCLA with 14 straight conference titles and are looking to make it an unheard of 15 straight titles. This is a year where the Big 12 is not only down from its usual self but where Kansas may be even more dominant and deeper than usual. History just might be in the making but these Jayhawks have a chance for more, including cutting down the nets.
Record Prediction
26-5 (15-3)
The Jayhawks should win the Big 12 once again and with a conference record of 15-3, I think they could finish anywhere from 2-4 games shy of the second place team. The Big 12 isn’t as strong the near the top like in past years. What it does have is a lot of solid teams in the middle that usually beat up on each other which could leave the second place team with a 12-6 or 11-7 record. Kansas traditionally schedules a tough non-conference schedule and this one in particular features matchups with four teams in the AP Preseason top 10.
This team has a mix of young and new guys with a few veterans mixed in. Veteran-led Bill Self coached teams usually navigate these type of schedules well but this team only has a few guys who have played games for Self. Although deep and talented they could be starting two freshmen in the backcourt. That is why I see them losing one of those top 10 matchups and the usual Bill Self non-conference loss head scratcher. A record like this with another tough schedule should mean another one seed for Kansas. With Kansas City once again hosting another regional final the Jayhawks could have a virtual home game to reach back to back Final Fours.
