Will This Kansas Team Rise to the Occasion?
The Jayhawks were just about universally viewed as a top 5 team coming into this season. Bill Self seemed to have addressed the few outstanding roster issues with transfers (Remy Martin and Joseph Yesufu) and high level recruits (KJ Adams and Zach Clemence). It seemed as though David McCormack's struggles from late 2020 were in the rearview mirror. It wasn't set up be the buzzsaw we've seen from some Self teams, but it was universally agreed that this was set up to be a very strong team.
From a national perspective, not all that much has changed. The Jayhawks are ranked 10th, a 16-3 team with only one "bad" loss (still considered a Tier B game by KenPom), and five wins over ranked opponents. But for fans, it feels like this has been a rough season, by KU's lofty (and, at times, unrealistic) standards. Remy Martin has been hurt, either sitting out entirely or playing limited minutes. Until Tuesday's win over Iowa State, Yesufu had barely seen important minutes. No freshman had made a real impact and broken into the core rotation. Many of the team's wins had been unexpected grinds, or games where fairly comfortable leads had disappeared, turning the outcome into a coin flip.
As we approach the home stretch of the regular season, we now know that Remy Martin's injury is more significant that originally indicated, and Self has suggested that he may simply have to rest to get back to where they need him to be. He also indicated that the mercurial David McCormack is dealing with some type of injury to his foot, which could at least partially explain his inconsistent play.
But against Iowa State on Tuesday, something was different. Not only was Remy Martin out entirely, but Wooden Award finalist Ochai Agbaji was out due to COVID protocols. This was a road team against a Cyclone squad that plays great defense and gave KU fits even in Lawrence. And while the first half was ugly at times, with far too many turnovers, the team answered the bell. Yesufu, for the first time this year, got plenty of minutes and showed out, with 7 points, 5 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. While it won't show up in the box score, he also gave the Kansas backcourt a dose of explosive athleticism it's been lacking without Martin. Dajuan Harris scored 14 with 8 assists,and McCormack notched a double double with 14 points and as many boards.
Perhaps most significantly, Kansas never fell into a deep deficit, or allowed Iowa State to cut the lead to a single possession. Without their best player, and arguably second best in Martin, the Jayhawks notched arguably their most comfortable league win outside of their blowout over West Virginia.
The question now is, was this a fluke? Or did Bill Self see solid evidence that players like Yesufu and Jalen Coleman-Lands can be relied upon? We've seen plenty of seasons where a Kansas team appeared deeply flawed, only for them to find themselves in Big 12 play and go on a nice run. Perhaps the best example was in 2017, when a Jayhawks squad that was 19-6 with four double digit losses went on a run to the Final Four.
It's hard to say what will happen from here. But the Iowa State game provided some hope. The team rallied under adversity and came up with a solid road win against one of the country's top defenses. There's no way of knowing how the injury situation will play out, but there's a glimmer of hope that Self and the Jayhawks are finding something that works without some of their top talent, which only gives them more options to find things that work when tested down the stretch.
Join the discussion! Come talk about this or any of our articles on the Blue Wing Rising Discord Server.
