This is one of the most synergized Kansas basketball teams of recent memory and the fans feel it. At Allen Fieldhouse alone, the Jayhawks have already taken down the No. 2, No. 13, and No. 1 sides in the country, which in large part is thanks to the environment bubbling around Lawrence, which was jump-started from the high-energy, lovable squad that Bill Self has compiled.
There has been a recent narrative that this team is one that enjoys each other more than others, and the records are often pointed to as a reason why.
Self’s last two teams in particular maybe fell shot of the lofty bar that will inevitably be set for a team that was twice selected as the AP preseason No. 1, as the Jayhawks combined for a 44-24 record and two exits before the Sweet 16.
Yet during Bill Self’s most recent press conference to preview the Jayhawks’ trip to the No. 5 Iowa State Cyclones, Self dispelled this narrative by pointing out a sacrifice that Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson made to join the Jayhawks.
“[He] probably made 30 cents on the dollar here compared to what he could make anywhere else”
“Hunt was a vocal guy in controversial type ways. which made everybody have an opinion on him. You know, isn't it amazing about the media and social media? You want people to be opinionated and expressive. And then when they are, and things don't work out perfect, now it's time that we can really cash in on those guys.
Dickinson was booed when he appeared on the Fieldhouse’s jumbotron during Kansas’ Late Night in the Phog in mid-October.
Some big cheers for Gradey Dick, Jalen Wilson, Johnny Furphy, and Kevin McCullar, when their highlights were shown....
— Shreyas Laddha (@shre98) October 18, 2025
While Hunter Dickinson got booed. #kubball
“Hunt was great, he was great, unbelievable teammate. [He] probably made 30 cents on the dollar here compared to what he could make anywhere else. People don't know that, but that's the fact… But trying hard with personality looks different. And this team's got personality.”
Dickinson averaged 17.7 points and 10.5 rebounds and was twice nominated to AP All-American teams during his tenure with the Jayhawks.
Is there any truth to this KU team being more likable?
Listen, just because this is a Jayhawk team that has magnetized fans and is rightly being propped up as one of the best teams in the nation, it does not have to mean that past teams that maybe didn’t reach those same heights are dysfunctional.
In that same conference, Self quotes that if Kevin McCullar Jr. hadn’t gotten injured during his senior season, then Kansas would have been a No. 2 seed during the 2023-24 NCAA Tournament. Meaning that the variables of what makes a team successful and likable are too fragile and can instantly be revised to fit a narrative.
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