This season was supposed to mark a changing of the guard in the Big 12. The Kansas Jayhawks must not have received the memo.
Everything was in place for a new team to take the reins and stop the Jayhawks' four-year run atop the conference. With five starters gone from last year's national championship team, only one senior on its roster and the Blake Griffin-led Oklahoma Sooners in its way, Kansas seemed destined for middle-of-the-conference standings. But after winning 13 of their last 15 games, the Jayhawks are back where they belong: in the driver's seat of the Big 12 and among the nation's top 10.
Coach Bill Self may have lost the star factor after players like Darrell Arthur, Brandon Rush and championship hero Mario Chalmers played their last games in Kansas uniforms, but the Jayhawks are compensating for that loss with solid team play. On the defensive end, Kansas is seventh in the nation in field goal-percentage defense, holding opponents to just a shade over 38 percent per game. It is also seventh in rebounding margin, snagging almost eight more than its opponents per game. Offensively, the Jayhawks are one of the most efficient teams in the nation, sharing the basketball and shooting almost 49 percent from the field.
That is not to say that this team does not boast some individual stars. The only players getting significant minutes from last year's squad, junior Sherron Collins and sophomore Cole Aldrich, are two of the better players in college basketball this season and give the Jayhawks a solid inside-outside combination.
Collins has almost doubled his scoring average from last season to 18.2 points a game, thanks to his increased playing time. He has only failed to hit double figures in scoring twice this year, and he has been on a tear recently, averaging almost 23 points during the Jayhawks' recent five-game winning streak, which ended Wednesday versus the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Aldrich is a somewhat bigger surprise. After coming on strong in the last few games of Kansas' tournament run last season, the center has truly come into his own this year, turning himself into a potential NBA lottery pick. Aldrich is averaging a double-double of 14.9 points and 10.5 rebounds along with 2.5 blocks a game as the anchor in the middle of his team's defense. The sophomore has been on a tear of his own during the Jayhawks' recent streak, recording four straight double-doubles before the Texas Tech game, including a huge 15-point, 20-rebound performance against the Sooners on Feb. 23.
Other underclassmen are chipping in for Kansas, including a pair of freshmen. Guard Tyshawn Taylor and forward Marcus Morris are averaging almost 17.5 points a game combined, giving the Jayhawks some scoring help outside their big two. Taylor, in particular, has been impressive, proving he can light up the scoreboard with three 20-point games already this year.
The Jayhawks have proven they are serious contenders, beating quality teams on their out-of-conference schedule like the Tennessee Volunteers, the Siena Saints and the Pac-10 leading Washington Huskies. In addition, Kansas has romped through its Big 12 schedule. With their demolition this past weekend of the No. 12 Missouri Tigers, avenging their only other conference loss of the season, the Jayhawks proved they are the class of the league.
But their newly found lofty status does have a small asterisk attached. The 87-78 win over Oklahoma came when the Sooners were without Griffin, who missed the game due to a concussion. If these two teams square off again in the conference tournament, the results could very well be different.
Regardless of how the last two games of the regular season -- as well as the conference tournament -- turn out for the Jayhawks, this has been a remarkable season for Self's team. To lose almost every key player from last year's squad and still play its way into the top 10 is an amazing accomplishment for Kansas. This is a season that can be chalked up as a win for the Jayhawks already, and Kansas fans could be cheering on their team during another long tournament run in March.
