Kansas basketball: Pair of Jayhawks listed to midseason 247 Sports All-American team

Kansas basketball has one of the best starting lineups in the nation, and a big reason for that is the one-two punch of Kevin McCullar and Hunter Dickinson.

The fifth-year senior guard who previously played at Texas Tech has taken his game to unprecedented heights, averaging 20.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists on 50.6% shooting. McCullar is considered a candidate for National Player of the Year and a potential first-round draft selection .

Meanwhile, Dickinson has lived up to expectations following his transfer to Kansas in the offseason. The ex-Michigan big man has averaged 18.3 points and 12.5 rebounds through 12 games on 60.7/50.0/72.2 shooting splits. This tandem has led the No. 2 ranked Jayhawks to an 11-1 record with conference play approaching.

Recently, 247 Sports released their midseason All-Americans. It shouldn't come as a surprise to see both of these players on the list. McCullar was listed to the first team, while Dickinson was on the second. Here is what analyst Kevin Flaherty wrote about McCullar.

"How many times is Bill Self going to do this? Ochai Agbaji considered going to the NBA but returned as an experienced player who had flaws as an NBA prospect and become a first-team All-American. Jalen Wilson did the same thing. And now, for the third straight year, a senior pushed back the NBA and took a major leap forward despite appearing to be something of, “He probably is what he is at this point.” Instead, McCullar, who averaged a career-high 10.7 points per game last year, is putting up 20.4 points per contest this year. And he’s adding 6.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game while making a career-high 40.8% of his 3-pointers. McCullar came into the year as one of the Big 12’s best defenders and a terrific role player, but the “role” part of that description can drop off now."

Next, he wrote about Dickinson.

"Kansas is the only team here with two players, but a player averaging 18.3 points 12.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game for the nation’s No. 2 team is pretty much always going to be an All-American shoo-in, even if his case arguably isn’t as strong as his own teammate. Dickinson is shooting 60.7% from the floor and 50% from 3 as well, and he’s shown up well in Kansas’ three biggest wins: 27 points, 21 rebounds and three steals against Kentucky, 17 points and 20 rebounds against Tennessee and 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots against UConn."

It is unusual to see two players mentioned as competitors for the Wooden Award on a Bill Self-led team, but here we are. Considering how poorly KU's bench has played during the 2023-24 season, the Jayhawks will go as far as these two can take them.