Kansas Basketball Needs To Grow In Key Area Before NCAA Tournament

No team can be on its "A" game every night.

Men's college basketball hasn't had an undefeated champion since Indiana in 1975-76 for a reason.

But part of what separates the good from the great and truly elite teams is how much energy and effort is brought on a nightly basis –– no matter the opponent. So when the inevitable poor shooting night arises, there's enough burst in other areas to overcome issues and still find a way to win.

No. 8 Kansas learned that the hard way on Saturday in an 84-68 home loss to a Cincinnati team that entered the contest 14-12 overall and 6-7 in Big 12 play. Part of the reason Kansas lost was self-inflicted, as senior guard Melvin Council Jr. sensed the Jayhawks weren't ready to start the game.

"We knew we had bad energy coming in the locker room and stuff like that, but that can't happen again at all," Council said postgame. "... They just wanted it more, that's really it."

Melvin Council Kansas Basketball — Kansas Jayhawks guard Melvin Council Jr. (14) drives against Cincinnati at Allen Fieldhouse. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Glaring struggles during Saturday's loss include Kansas' 4-for-18 3-point shooting, its third-worst outside shooting game of the season from a percentage standpoint (22.2%). Cincinnati also had a 40-29 rebounding advantage and scored 15 points off Kansas' nine turnovers. That resulted in 84 points, the fourth-most allowed in a game this season by a Kansas defense that ranks 14th nationally in efficiency.

Kansas is capable of making a Final Four run this season, but it has to improve in a key area –– bringing consistent energy and not overlooking opponents.

"They were more aggressive. They were more physical, and we played soft," Kansas coach Bill Self said.

Most postgame comments from Council, Bidunga and Self sounded similar to that, revolving around energy-related letdowns as opposed to schemes or adjustments. There's room for improvement there, too, but Kansas can't dig itself a hole by not playing as hard as usual.

Self pushed back a bit on Council's "bad energy" characterizaion, but had a similar sentiment.

"There wasn't bad energy, but I don't think that we were as enthusiastic," Self said. "I don't think we were as energetic. I don't think what he said is necessarily maybe the right phrase, but certainly I could feel it too. I could feel that it was a lot like the Utah game, to be honest with you."

Darryn Peterson Kansas Basketball — Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) shoots against Cincinnati at Allen Fieldhouse. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

That's perhaps the most puzzling part about this Kansas team. The Jayhawks are clearly capable of beating anyone in the country on a single night, as they recently defeated No. 1 Arizona, No. 2 Iowa State, No. 13 BYU and No. 13 Texas Tech.

So why doesn't that version of Kansas show up more frequently? And will that inconsistency limit how far the Jayhawks can go in the NCAA Tournament?

There have been a few too many instances like Saturday against Cincinnati. Just look at Kansas' 71-59 win over Utah on Feb. 7, when the Jayhawks led by just two points with about 16 minutes to play at home against a team that's now 10-17 overall and tied for last in the Big 12 standings at 2-12.

At least in that game, Kansas snapped out of its funk and locked in on defense to build a fairly comfortable lead for the final 10 minutes. But it's not always going to be that easy to flip the switch, and Saturday's loss to Cincinnati is a perfect example.

Sophomore forward Flory Bidunga said postgame that Kansas should have respected Cincinnati more. Even though the Bearcats are unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament at No. 51 in the NET rankings, Kansas can't only get excited about hosting the No. 1 team and then fall flat against an inferior opponent.

If that mentality resurfaces and translates to low energy on the court, the Jayhawks will risk sliding down a seed line or suffering an early loss in March Madness.

"I'm not gonna buy that s****, okay?" Self said. "Respecting opponents more, maybe coming out with the same energy that you have against Arizona and other people would be equal respect. We didn't do that today. But don't make something out of nothing because no team is on point and at a 10 every game this season, regardless of if they're playing home or away."

"So I'm not buying that. We respected the opponent, but the bottom line is we didn't bring it as a unit from an energy standpoint like you've got to when they're good. They're obviously –– I mean, we played an NCAA Tournament team today, there's no doubt about that. They've had their moments this season where they've been inconsistent and not as good, but they were great today."

Flory Bidunga Kansas Basketball — Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) shoots against Cincinnati at Allen Fieldhouse. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Self went on to call Cincinnati's defense "elite," as it held Kansas to 27-for-61 shooting from the field. Bidunga still managed to put up 18 points and 12 rebounds, but he also turned the ball over four times and allowed Cincinnati center Moustapha Thiam to score 28 points.

Council had an inefficient 3-for-13 game, while star freshman Darryn Peterson finished with 17 points but went 1-for-7 from beyond the arc. In short, Self said he didn't think anybody played well on Saturday.

But that doesn't mean one loss has to turn into a downward spiral. The Jayhawks still have the pieces needed to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, and now it's about showing up with high energy and effort on a more consistent basis.

That starts Monday night with a major challenge against Houston, which was ranked No. 2 but will drop after losses to No. 6 Iowa State and No. 4 Arizona this past week. Self acknowledged Saturday's game was rough, but he also harped on togetherness with crucial games coming up.

"Things happen, and you gotta stay together," Self said. "I think that we will. Without question, they're great kids. But we weren't competitive today, and the message is if you can't make other people play poorly no matter where you're playing, it could be a long afternoon or evening and that's exactly what happened. We didn't do anything to get them out of rhythm. "