The Kansas basketball team is 8-3 this season, surviving a challenging non-conference schedule with only one player on the roster who saw action for the Jayhawks a year ago.
This team isn't perfect. It isn't the most talented or the best skill-wise. It is a more athletic team, from top to bottom, than KU has seen for a while. Kansas has also had to deal with the ongoing leg issues of its star player, Darryn Peterson, has battled hamstring and cramp issues all season, missing seven games.
Despite this, the current Jayhawks are more entertaining, tougher, and grittier than any KU team in recent memory. There is just something about them.
What makes this Kansas basketball team easier to cheer on than other recent rosters?
The makeup of this team is different. Head coach Bill Self brought in transfers, as he has for several seasons, but Melvin Council Jr., Tre White, Jayden Dawson, and Nginyu Ngala are far less glamorous names than some of the players who transferred in the past. Only White played previously in a major conference, and he played at USC, Louisville, and Illinois.
These four seem thrilled to be here at Kansas. They act like it is an honor and privilege to wear the Kansas crimson and blue and play in the venerable Allen Fieldhouse.
On Saturday, during the Jayhawks' well-earned overtime victory at NC State, Council turned in an incredible performance, scoring 36 of KU's 77 points. He more than doubled his previous career high in made three-point shots by making nine in 15 attempts.
During a timeout late in the contest, after he had just made a go-ahead three, he presented his jersey to the hostile crowd, proudly holding out the "Kansas" for all to see. That is a guy who loves wearing that jersey.
White also plays with a toughness and a willingness to do all the little things needed to win. He also looks happy to be at Kansas. Ngala was unknown before signing with Kansas. He played for a college in Canada last season. Dawson played at Loyola-Chicago. Kansas is a big step up for these two players.
The only player on the roster who played last year was Flory Bidunga, who tested the transfer portal briefly before returning to KU. He's made great improvements to his game and plays hard at all times.
Kansas also features two players who played two years ago. Elmarko Jackson was a McDonald's All-American who struggled as a freshman and then sat out last year due to an injury. Jamari McDowell redshirted last year after seeing sporadic playing time as a freshman. Both could have left, but both stayed, improved their games, and have contributed positively this season.
While this team can struggle at times offensively when Peterson is out, they usually figure out a way to win. They play intense defense and may be one of Self's better defensive teams when it is all said and done.
It isn't that the last few KU teams didn't care, but they just didn't seem to connect with fans. The transfer names were more marquee, but they didn't always buy into the system as much as hoped. The current players seem to be buying in, and it shows.
All of these items add up to a hard-to-quantify intangible, but it translates when watching them play. They are playing together. They are being unselfish. Furthermore, they are representing KU better than some recent teams have.
Last week, Tre White commented on the team's chemistry. They get along and enjoy playing and hanging out with each other. That shows on the court, and it is one of the things that is making watching Kansas basketball fun to watch again. Hopefully, all KU fans are seeing it and feeling it!