Kansas basketball can take advantage of turnovers vs. Stanford

For Kansas basketball, taking advantage of turnover-prone Stanford is the key to the Jayhawks’ first road victory of the season.

Kansas basketball fans would meltdown if the Jayhawks found a way to lose today on the road against Stanford, and they’d have the right to do so. Two road losses to close out 2019 and go into conference play would be a disaster, and it’d really dampen the mood on this national championship season. There’s one Stanford tendency that Kansas basketball can take advantage of though.

The Cardinal has struggled with turnovers this season

According to KenPom, Stanford turns the ball over on 21.6% of their possessions which ranks number 284 in the country. If the Jayhawks can capitalize on the Stanford mistakes as well as limit their turnovers, Kansas should have a very good chance of getting their first road win of the season.

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Stanford has one more disadvantage that plays into the first one: they’ve played a soft schedule.

Stanford is 11-1 on the season, which is impressive; however, Stanford has only played two teams inside the top 50 on KenPom. Their one loss came to Butler on a neutral court.

The Jayhawks benefit by being the toughest game the Cardinal has played all season. Plus, Kansas also has the best defense Stanford has seen as well according to KenPom. Mix Stanford’s inclination to turnovers with the Jayhawks’ strong defense and this isn’t a game that Kansas should lose.

Just last week, Kansas held the potent Villanova offense to 56 points, their lowest score of the season. That was mostly without defensive expert Marcus Garrett too, who left the game due to an ankle injury in the first half. Garrett is expected to return today against the Cardinal.

Kansas has a great opportunity to pick up a solid road victory over Stanford today. The Jayhawks need a road win before conference play starts, or we could be looking at another year similar to 2018 where Kansas couldn’t win anywhere not called “Allen Fieldhouse.”