The Kansas Jayhawks have seen a slight turnaround in their recent form. Okay, no one was saying that Bill Self’s squad was in a crisis after a 3-2 start, with an 87-74 loss to No. 16 UNC Tar Heels, or a 78-66 loss to the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils. But Kansas was knocked out of the AP Top 25, and the Players Era represented a nice chance to settle the squad, even if it meant star Darryn Peterson would be missing.
Over the Jayhawks’ three-game stay in Las Vegas, Nevada, Kansas marshalled a strong 3-0
record, which saw a 71-61 win over ACC side Notre Dame, a 70-61 win over another ACC side, the Syracuse Orange, oh, and an elite No. 17 Tennessee squad, where the Jayhawks took down the Volunteers 81-76.
The Kansas Jayhawks strike big in Vegas, with recent run of results
"It's nice. It's been a good tournament for us,” quoted Self following Kansas’ latest win over the SEC side. “The matchups have been good for us, different styles. It's a first-class event. Obviously, the national media has treated it like it's the premier basketball event so far this year, which I think is true.” Self went on to lament on the fact that Kansas saw an undefeated first two games but only were gifted a third place match, saying that you can’t “penalize” teams for going undefeated, however the Jayhawk coach finished by saying. “This thing's going to continue to grow and get better."
This was the second season of the Players Era. Last season, Kansas was not a participant and instead faced the Blue Devils in a 75-72 win and Furman in an 86-51 win. Both were what was tabbed the Vegas Showdown.
While the Players Era has drawn a number of fans and skeptics, all the Jayhawks will care about are the impressive performances without Peterson.
Without doubt, though, the Jayhawks’ best performance was their encore against the Vols. With 15:06 to play, Kansas was down by a hefty 53-41, and with 8:21 to play after two Nate Ament free throws, Kansas was back down 62-56. In both times, despite the game being in the balance, Self’s team showed the requisite strength to push on to the five-point win.
Up next for the Jayhawks are the stubborn No. 5 UConn Huskies. Currently, UConn sits 6-1, and its lone loss comes to the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats in a narrow 71-67 loss.
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