Kansas basketball: Defending the perimeter should be worked on during the Christmas break for the Jayhawks

Taking advantage of the holiday break should include bringing pressure when defending the 3-point line for Kansas basketball.

Kansas basketball has had a long break before the return to the court and with five more days off, head coach Bill Self is probably working out the kinks in practice before the Jayhawks return.

One area we had noticed Kansas struggle with is the ability to defend perimeter shooting. West Virginia alone put up eight baskets from three-point range in their last performance. In part to these issues was Mountaineer guard Sean McNeil, who caused trouble for the Kansas defense early on in the night.

The junior would go 6 of 10 from the key, giving West Virginia an edge that wouldn’t last.

Regardless, Kansas will need to pay attention to the shortage of coverage seen at the perimeter. Defending the ‘three-ball’ will be crucial for the Jayhawks moving forward against tougher conference opponents.

The upcoming match-up with #10 Texas will be an opportunity for the Jayhawks to improve, as the Longhorns appear in the bottom half of three-point shooters in the Big 12. Texas does however lead the conference in defending the perimeter attack.

Sealing off the Longhorns from three-point range won’t be the only task for Kansas moving into 2021. Baylor’s Davion Mitchell boasts the top three-point percentage in the conference and will surely be a threat to the Jayhawk’s defense unless more pressure can be amplified on the outside.

The Jayhawks have a lighter schedule to start the New Year, but this shouldn’t be taken lightly. Both TCU and Iowa State have solid field goal percentages and Oklahoma holds top five three-point shooter Brady Manek.

While remaining un-ranked, these programs will prove as more tests for Kansas and give the Jayhawks a chance to take on more adversity. These are talking points sure to be discussed throughout practices amid their return and will hopefully channel more protection to the perimeter as we head into 2021.