BY TRISTAN SASSE
A year after falling to Oregon in the Elite Eight, the Kansas Jayhawks will look to rebound after a tough finish to last season. Not many programs can advance to the Elite Eight, finish 31-5 (16-2 in Big XII), and fail to reach their expectations; at Kansas it’s different. After losing Naismith National Player of the Year Frank Mason III and standout freshman Josh Jackson to the NBA draft, the Jayhawks will have to find leadership from different areas.
Even after losing many key pieces, Kansas is ranked No. 3 in the recently released preseason USA Today Coaches Poll. The Jayhawks find themselves behind the No.1 Duke Blue Devils and No. 2 Michigan State Spartans. KU ranked fourth in the AP Preseason Poll, behind Duke, Michigan State, and Arizona. The AP Poll is the official poll used for college basketball. For the fifth straight year, the Jayhawks begin the season in the top 5.
Kansas will also aim for a fourteenth straight regular season Big XII title, which would break a tie with the UCLA Bruins for the most straight conference titles all-time. Another streak the Jayhawks are destined to extend is an already NCAA record 28-straight NCAA tournament appearances. Kansas has appeared in the Big Dance every year since 1990.
With that being said, winning the conference title is never a cakewalk, and this year will be no exception. Kansas loses over 63% of their scoring from a season ago. Aside from the losses of Mason III (20.9 points per game) and Jackson (16.3 ppg), the Jayhawks will also be without Landen Lucas (8.0 ppg), Carlton Bragg Jr. (5.2 ppg), Dwight Coleby Jr. (1.7 ppg), and Tyler Self (0.7 ppg). Luckily, Kansas still has Bill Self, and while many schools would rebuild in this situation, the Jayhawks reloaded.
Last year, KU ranked second in the Big XII averaging 83.2 points per game and 14th in Division I. Defensively, the Jayhawks allowed 71.9 ppg, which ranked seventh in the Big XII and 171st in Division I.
The Jayhawks have two starters returning from the 2016-17 season. Seniors Devonte’ Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk will look to guide the Jayhawks, as well as junior Lagerald Vick, who showed extreme signs of potential in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Sophomore Udoka Azubuike will also return to the Jayhawks after suffering a season-ending wrist injury. Azubuike started six games last season.
Kansas also has key newcomers. Guard Marcus Garrett and McDonald’s All American Billy Preston headline the freshmen class. In the 2017 ESPN top 100 rankings for the incoming recruiting class, Preston ranked No. 18, while Garrett was No. 64. As a senior at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, Preston averaged 15.3 ppg and 10.4 rebounds per game. Garrett averaged 17.3 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 9.1 assists per game, and 3.1 steals per game during his senior year at Skyline High School in Dallas, TX. Garrett was also named the Texas Gatorade Player of the Year.
Additionally, redshirt sophomore Malik Newman will also see action for the first time in a Kansas uniform. Newman, a transfer from Mississippi State, sat out the entire 2016-17 season at KU due to transfer rules. At Mississippi State, Newman averaged 11.3 ppg as a freshman and declared for the NBA Draft before withdrawing.
Also, Sam Cunliffe, a transfer from Arizona State, will be joining the Jayhawks this season. Cunliffe transferred from ASU in the fall of 2016. As a starter for the Sun Devils, Cunliffe averaged 9.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg in a total of 10 games he played in last fall. Cunliffe will be eligible to play in mid-December (due to transfer rules).
For the Jayhawks, the 2017-18 schedule features key nonconference matchups with No. 5 Kentucky, Syracuse, Stanford, Oakland, and No. 25 Texas A&M. Kansas will also play 18 difficult conference games as usual. West Virginia (No. 11) and Baylor (No. 24) are the only other Big XII teams ranked in the top 25. TCU, Oklahoma, and Texas are all receiving votes.
Once again, the goal for the Jayhawks will be to hoist the national championship trophy at the end of the season. For the first time in 10 years, the Final Four will be in San Antonio, TX. Last time the Jayhawks played a Final Four in San Antonio, Mario Chalmers enshrined Kansas in the history books with his shot heard around the world.