When the Kansas Jayhawks fell to the now No. 18 UNC Tar Heels in what was an 87-74 loss, there was still a calming reassurance from head coach Bill Self.
It is clear that things need to improve. In the second half against UNC, Kansas was outfought and got caught out by a 66.7% rate from the field, which saw four Tar Heels notch double digits, and just one turnover; both of these were massive turnarounds from a UNC team that totaled 10 turnovers and a 33.3% field goal rate in the first period.
At the end of the day, the Jayhawks were deserving of that loss, and the inconsistencies in stringing together consistent scoring runs cost the Jayhawks the night. Despite Kansas’ 48.1% rate from the field, Self’s defense looked fragile and allowed an astounding 58 second-half points.
When the AP poll released their weekly addition, the former No. 19 team in the nation was dropped to the 25th slot. With the season in its embryonic stage and a run of fixtures that sees the Jayhawks face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Princeton before Bill Self’s team travels to Madison Square Garden to take on another daunting side, the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils.
Tomorrow, the Jayhawks are set to take on the Islanders in what fans will hope be a replicate of Kansas’ first game of the season, a massive 9-51 win over the Green Bay Phoenix that showed the strengths of a number of players, including a massive 23 points from sophomore Flory Bidunga, who shot a phenomenal 9-11 from the field. Freshman Darryn Peterson marked 21 points on his debut and continued the momentum that has pundits raving about the five-star.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT with streaming available on ESPN+.
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