Winning the Big 12 regular season title is something that has become synonymous with the Kansas Jayhawks basketball program. For 14 consecutive seasons, Bill Self and his team claimed at least a share of the conference. They have done so in three of the past four years since the legendary streak was broken in 2018-19.
But this year, winning the Big 12 might be more challenging than it ever has been for Coach Self. The Jayhawks received an unfavorable draw from the scheduler makers now that the conference abandoned the round-robin format fans had become familiar with. And despite overpowering their opponents in Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas has struggled immensely on the road, playing to a 2-5 record away from their home court in league play.
While claiming a share of the regular season title seems highly unlikely for Self and his group, there is still reason for hope among the Jayhawk faithful. A few tough wins on the road and some luck from other Big 12 competitors could put them in a decent position. After all, people have counted out Kansas from winning the Big 12 in past years and they still somehow pulled it off.
None of this will be possible if Kansas can't run the table after its long break between games. But first things first, this first scenario needs to happen, and it starts this weekend.