The Kansas basketball season has been an up-and-down affair for the Jayhawk faithful. While KU picked up a handful of marquee victories in nonconference play, back-to-back road losses and an upset loss at home to West Virginia have left fans confused about where the team stands nationally.
As inconsistent as the on-court performances have been, the Jayhawks showed a glimpse of their ceiling over the past two contests. They picked up blowout wins over UCF and Arizona State, moving to 2-1 in Big 12 games. Looming on the schedule is a road tilt at Cincinnati, and Bearcats head coach Wes Miller revealed he is very impressed with Kansas in a recent press conference:
Wes Miller talks about Kansas in recent press conference
"[Kansas] is the oldest team in the country, the most experienced team in the country. They are a national championship contender, and there's only a handful [of teams] that people feel that way about, they present a load of challenges. The first thing is the depth and the experience and the level of their players. You're talking about guys on their roster that were the leading scorers at other NCAA Tournament schools who are playing limited minutes. They are deep as a college basketball team that I've seen in the portal era."Wes Miller
The praise couldn't be any greater from Miller, who split the season series with the Jayhawks a year ago. He acknowledged the unparalleled depth on KU's roster, which consists of seven seniors on scholarships and a pair of juniors.
Miller made an additional reference to AJ Storr, who has found himself in the proverbial doghouse as of late. The head coach mentioned how, even after being the leading scorer of No. 5-seeded Wisconsin a year ago, he has not quite found his niche since arriving in Lawrence. The junior guard is averaging 7 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1 assist in 14 games but only saw the floor for three minutes on Wednesday.
The Bearcats saw themselves ranked as high as No. 14 in the country until falling out of the recent AP Poll following consecutive defeats to open Big 12 play. Their fortunes didn't improve earlier this week in a 20-point loss at Baylor. Tied for last in the conference, Miller knows the importance of the upcoming bout.
While the Bearcats haven’t played well over the past few games, they have the talent to keep up with the Jayhawks. Bill Self and his group cannot take this matchup lightly, especially in front of a hostile road crowd.