With just two weeks until the Big 12 Men's Basketball tips off and March Madness officially being underway, the Kansas Jayhawks are outside of the AP Top 25 for the first time in over four years. There is nobody to blame other than Kansas head coach Bill Self.
Despite recruiting some of the most talented players in the country and maintaining a veteran roster, Self has allowed the Jayhawks to fall apart over the last two years––to a point where some analysts are saying the two seasons are the worst in Kansas history under Self.
The Jayhawks were primed to be one of the top teams in the nation, literally. Kansas was ranked No. 1 in the preseason polls and yet, with an abysmal showing in conference play, has fallen beyond the top 25 spots.
There looks to be a sense of apathy amongst the players as they struggle to slow down their opponents and it looks like Self has lost all buy-in from his squad. Fans, and opposing crowds, have noted that the Jayhawks simply look like they don't care anymore, even when they lose in shocking fashion like their 34-point loss to the then-unranked BYU Cougars.
With just three games remaining in the regular season, all against top-25 teams, Kansas is clinging to hope that it can pull off an upset victory over one of their upcoming conference opponents.
However, with games against the No. 10 Texas Tech Red Raiders, the No. 4 Houston Cougars, and the No. 22 Arizona Wildcats, the odds are not exactly in the Jayhawks' favor.
Kansas will face Texas Tech on Saturday, March 1 in the Jayhawks' third-to-last regular season matchup of the season. If Kansas fails to defeat any of its remaining opponents, the Jayhawks will finish the regular season with only 19 wins, the first time they will fall short of a 20-win season since their 2020-21 campaign.