Kansas basketball needs to focus on defending the perimeter if they’re going to start winning again

Following a disappointing road loss to West Virginia, Kansas basketball will need to shift their mindset to stopping shots outside the arc.

Coming up short in Morgantown, Kansas basketball is still in the hole. While their offensive action has seemingly picked up the pace, the Jayhawks’ defense has plagued their ability to compete in the final minutes.

WVU sophomore Miles McBride handed Kansas a rough finish yesterday, going 4 of 5 from the outside and posting 29 points. Clicking late and helping the Mountaineers find a surge of offense to push past the Jayhawks.

Along with McBride, WVU senior Taz Sherman was finding decent success from the perimeter. This proved to be a major issue for Kansas, as failing to stop the three ended up being the largest contributor in what is now their fifth straight road loss.

The issue for Kansas seems to stem defensively, particularly stopping the three-point shot.

Until Kansas can control the outside, it’s going to be tough to compete with the high scoring tendencies of the Big 12’s more talented programs.

Sophomore Jalen Wilson and senior Marcus Garrett are typically the most trusted defenders on Kansas’ roster, but despite their speed, they haven’t been able to find many takeaways.

Where Kansas is succeeding defensively is rebounding. Wilson, McCormack, and Braun found a collective 17 rebounds defensive rebounds.

These are key takeaways that allowed the Jayhawks took to make a fast run early in the second half, where they’d tie the game following an impressive start to the half.

Following the road loss, it’s expected for Kansas to drop out of the AP Top 25 poll. This is a streak that Kansas has held for 12 years under head coach Bill Self.

Despite the unpleasant finish, Kansas’ stat sheet wasn’t awful, as the offense carried a decent weight against the Mountaineers. The effort isn’t enough however, with the absence of the consistent defense.

The main focus for Kansas should be getting as many opportunities to create a steal transition, whether it’s a three-point shot or an inside block. Pressure and speed will be crucial to make this defense work back in their favor.

Back home tomorrow, Kansas will find themselves with yet another tough test to turn things around against Oklahoma State. The matchup will challenge the Jayhawk’s ability to defend the perimeter, this will be a hard task with the Cowboy’s second-best conference offense.