Kansas basketball: Jayhawks are definitely Final Four contenders

Despite losing a lot of talent, Kansas basketball is definitely going to be contending for a spot in the 2021 Final Four.

Anyone who watched Kansas basketball last season knew how important Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike were to the Jayhawks’ success. Dotson averaged 18.1 points per game, while Azubuike contributed 13.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Even though they’re both gone now, next season’s Jayhawks have more than enough firepower to make it to the Final Four.

Despite this, college hoops analyst Andy Katz did not select Kansas as one of his top picks to make the Final Four. The only team he picked from the Big 12 was Baylor, which is understandable, but not picking the Jayhawks seems crazy considering his list consisted of 10 teams.

Kansas is returning Marcus Garrett, Ochai Agbaji, and David McCormack, all of whom seem ready to step into bigger roles. Not to mention, five-star guard Bryce Thompson will be joining the Jayhawks along with top-rated JUCO prospect Tyon Grant-Foster. Guys like Christian Braun, Jalen Wilson, and Dajuan Harris should also be fun to watch this season, and it’ll be interesting to see which of them step up.

Then of course there’s Bill Self, who always has the Jayhawks in contention no matter what. This lineup has a lot of potential and despite Baylor being the favorite, Kansas has all they need to compete and win another Big 12 championship.

Kansas will likely be ranked in the top 10 of the country once the AP Poll comes out, and they’re currently No. 8 in ESPN‘s way-too-early rankings. How they aren’t a Final Four contender according to Katz is hard to figure out, but the Jayhawks should have a chance to make a statement once the season starts.

Kansas is set to open their season in Orlando as part of a modified Wooden Legacy tournament according to Jon Rothstein. The Jayhawks will start by playing Boise State, then assuming they beat the Broncos, play the winner of Seton Hall and UCLA.