The vibes in Lawrence were not all that great following an ugly loss to West Virginia to open Big 12 play. Despite entering the season as the nation's No. 1 team and national title favorites, Bill Self's Kansas Jayhawks were struggling to piece things together several months into the season.
While there is still work to be done, hope has again been instilled into the fanbase amid a three-game winning streak. KU is hot heading into its crucial road tilt at Iowa State next week. After a successful week that saw the Jayhawks convincingly defeat Arizona State and Cincinnati, FanSided affiliate Busting Brackets has inserted Kansas back into the top 10 of its weekly power rankings.
Kansas basketball re-enters top 10 in CBB power rankings
"Three double-digit wins gets Kansas back on track and shoots them back up the Big 12 standings. Some strong second half performances have the Jayhawks back in fighting shape, though there’s still plenty of work ahead for this program. Dickinson and Mayo have played great, but the other talent on this roster has to play better, especially after the Jayhawks made just 9% of their 3-pointers in that win in Cincinnati. As a reward for their efforts, this team gets a rough trip to Iowa State this week."Joey Loose
Longtime college basketball analyst Joey Loose is one of Busting Brackets' most respected writers. Kansas had previously dropped to No. 14 in Loose's previous rankings, but that included the 51-point blowout over UCF. The Jayhawks' defensive prowess gave him more reason to believe in the squad, though he acknowledged they still have to figure some things out.
Depending on whether you're a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty kind of person, there are many takeaways to pull from the past handful of games. Kansas has allowed fewer than 50 points per game since inserting Shakeel Moore into the starting lineup vs. UCF. Then again, the offense floundered down the stretch at Cincy, missing its final 18 attempts from behind the 3-point line. Shooting percentages like those certainly won't cut it against the Iowa State's and Houston's of the conference.
Jayhawk fans will find out just how good the team truly is in Hilton Coliseum. If they somehow pull off a victory to move to 4-1 in conference play, Kansas could find itself near the top-five of Busting Brackets' next power rankings.