Kansas basketball climbs in ESPN’s way-too-early top 25
Kansas basketball has the potential to be a dangerous team next season, and Jeff Borzello’s rankings at ESPN reflect that.
Kansas basketball may have lost more talent than any other team over this offseason. All-Americans Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike are both gone, but the Jayhawks aren’t going to miss a beat next season. They came in ranked at No. 6 in Jeff Borzello’s way-too-early rankings on ESPN, that’s up four spots from No. 10.
Considering the Kansas Jayhawks’ roster next season, No. 6 is a fair spot. Outside of Marcus Garrett, Ochai Agbaji, and David McCormack, the starting five is a little hazy. Freshmen Bryce Thompson and Tyon Grant-Foster are worthy contenders for the other spots, then there’s also sophomore Christian Braun and redshirt freshman Dajuan Harris.
The good news is that no matter which lineup Bill Self decides to go with, it’ll be a talented one with capable reserves coming off of the bench. The potential is wild, but it may take a few games to figure out how to optimize performance on the floor.
READ MORE: Predicting next season’s starting five
Interestingly, Kansas basketball is the second-highest rated team in the Big 12 according to Borzello. Here are all the Big 12 schools and where they rank:
Unlike Kansas, Baylor is bringing back a ton of talent from last season’s team, maybe. Jared Butler, who was first-team All-Big 12 has declared for the NBA Draft; however, he hasn’t hired an agent and he could return to the Bears.
Depending on how the offseason shakes out for Baylor, the Jayhawks may or may not land ahead of the Bears in preseason rankings.
Borzello’s two questions for Kansas revolve around the point guard position and inside play. Honestly, if Marcus Garrett played the point that wouldn’t be bad at all. He led the Jayhawks in assists last season despite not being the primary ballhandler and his turnovers were low as well.
In terms of inside play, David McCormack is set to have a monster season. The big man has proven that he can play, and giving him a chance to step out of Azubuike’s shadow should give McCormack a chance to shine on his own.
must read. All-time Bill Self era team. light
It’ll be interesting to see if the Jayhawks move up again in these way-too-early rankings because that just what they are: way-too-early. While Kansas’ 2020 roster is fairly set barring some transfers, other teams will rise and fall with transfers and signings of their own.
As of now though, No. 6 isn’t a bad spot to be in.