One-and-Done: Kansas Jayhawks basketball player ratings from A to Z in loss to Cincinnati

With Kevin McCullar and Hunter Dickinson sitting out the game with various injuries, the odds were not in favor of Kansas basketball heading into the Big 12 Tournament. The Jayhawks came into the game with seven scholarship players available to play Cincinnati. With Parker Braun only playing three minutes total, Self essentially rolled with six guys all game.

There was little offensive talent on the floor, and the Jayhawks struggled all game to put points on the board. Now, they have back-to-back embarrassing losses as KU fell 72-52 to the Bearcats. KJ Adams was the lone bright spot, tying his career-high with 22 points.

You can look at this game through several different lenses. The positive is that this team will have a week to get healthy and ready to try to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. Or... you can look at this through a more narrow view.

This team has had severe flaws all season, such as a collective 3-point shooting slump (going 3-for-20 on the night with one of those makes by walk-on Patrick Cassidy in junk time). Our two best players are injured, we have no depth, our point guard is turning it over and consistently missing layups, and we flat-out aren't very good.

The most likely result is this team does not see the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. I hope I am wrong about that statement, as this team has multiple big wins throughout the season. The problem is those wins seem like a long time ago. KU struggled to a 10-8 conference record, including this tournament loss, finishing barely over .500 in a league we have dominated forever. I'm hoping for a surprise run, but in reality, we need to land some scorers, shooters, and dogs in the portal in the offense to regroup for next year.

Kansas Basketball Player Ratings vs. Cincinnati in Big 12 Tournament

Tier 1: Big Jays

1. KJ Adams

KJ gave everything he had and was the only guy competing at a high level while providing maximum energy. This team hasn't figured out that we can't roll out with the name on our jersey and win. KJ was the only man scrapping and giving his all, while others on this team seemed to not give maximum effort. KJ has been underrated on this team all year and has been one of the most consistent players we have had. He tied a career-high with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting. The junior forward added four rebounds, two assists, one block, and three turnovers.