The wait is finally over, and Kansas basketball is finally back. The familiar feel of The Phog rocking on a Monday night will have fans ready to ditch the football jerseys for basketball jerseys. While it may not be the toughest opponent Kansas will face this season, the start of basketball season is always magical in Lawrence.
The Jayhawks will take on Fordham to start the season, a typical "cupcake" opponent for opening tipoff, but Bill Self will treat this game like any other. The Jayhawks are hoping to extend a very impressive streak with a win over Fordham that would give Kansas its 53rd consecutive win in regular-season home openers.
As a heavy favorite, Kansas shouldn't have a problem extending that streak, but the big question is: who will start for the Jayhawks? With some very talented freshmen and now-vets returning for their fifth season under the five-for-five rule, Self has a tough choice about who will start on the court for the Jayhawks.
Taylen Kinney should get the start for Kansas vs. Fordham
There are some obvious guys who are going to be starters for Kansas in this game and probably all of them for the rest of the season. Guys like Tyran Stokes, Melvin Council Jr., and Tre White are going to be clear starters going forward, but it gets a little murky after that.
When it comes to the big man position, it looks like the spot will be Keanu Dawes, but with the recent addition of Trey Kaufman-Renn, that could change as the season goes on. Kaufman-Renn will need some time to get up to speed with the team, probably keeping Dawes as the starter for now, but there is also the possibility of Paul Mbiya and Christian Reeves battling for the spot.
The biggest question is who will be the point guard for the Jayhawks. That is a battle between Toledo transfer Leroy Blyden Jr. and five-star freshman Taylen Kinney. In the three exhibition games Kansas played, Kinney got two starts while Blyden got two as well, but Kinney played significantly more minutes throughout all three games.
Blyden is a great player, one who can add a lot to the Jayhawks' offense, but in exhibitions, he struggled to score consistently. Kinney, on the other hand, was able to score more consistently and got a lot of work as the point guard running the offense.
Kinney also has built a great connection with fellow five-star Stokes, and that guard-forward connection could be big for the Jayhawks. Kinney has great vision of the court, and getting the time as the starter now against some of these "cupcake" teams can help him build his confidence and get even more comfortable with the level of college basketball.
So, heading into the Fordham game, here is who I believe will be the starters for the Jayhawks:
- Point Guard: Taylen Kinney
- Guard: Melvin Council Jr.
- Wing: Tre White
- Forward: Tyran Stokes
- Center: Keanu Dawes
Self will have his guys ready to go, and even those on the bench will need to be ready because last season, bench play was a big weakness for Kansas. Self needs to be able to trust his guys on the bench, so don't be surprised if, early in the season, there is a lot of rotation, seeing who can be the first guys up when the starters need a breather.
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