Five logical takeaways from Kansas Jayhawks basketball's brutal loss to BYU
By Tyler Key
5. While it is unlikely to happen, KU’s ceiling is still a National Championship
This takeaway will likely be the hardest one for diehard KU basketball fans to get on board with. It has been a rough year for Kansas based on the preseason #1 ranking and the lofty expectations that this team had. The UCF loss was bad. The WVU loss was worse. This BYU loss at home feels like the last straw to some. Despite this, one thing should remain clear: There is still a small chance that the Kansas Jayhawks can win the National Championship this year.
Looking at the Top 25 Rankings this week, KU fans should recognize some familiar faces towards the top of the list. Houston (25-3) is ranked #1, UConn (25-3) is ranked #3, and Tennessee (21-6) is ranked #4. What do all of these teams have in common? They all lost to the Kansas Jayhawks this season. When KU is at its best and Kevin McCullar Jr. is healthy, it can compete with anyone in the country.
NCAA Tournament success as a whole also depends a lot on getting favorable matchups and having a little bit of luck along the way. The 2022 KU Title Team got to benefit from matching up with a 10th seed (Miami FL) in the Elite Eight, an injured Villanova team in the Final Four, and of course 8th seeded North Carolina in the National Championship game. Does this invalidate their run? Of course not! It does however prove that when things break your way, it can make winning six games in a row easier than other years when teams have to go through a gauntlet of death to win it all.
At the moment, this iteration of Kansas basketball does not feel like a title contender. However, in college basketball things can change very quickly and there’s a reason why it is called March Madness. Hang in there Jayhawks fans and Rock Chalk!
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