Big 12 Basketball: December Power Rankings
1. Kansas Jayhawks
Nov 25, 2015; Lahaina, HI, USA; Kansas Jayhawks Wayne Selden Jr. (left) and Frank Mason III (right) hold up the MVP Trophy after both being named co-most valuable players after defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores during the Maui Jim Maui Invitational Championship Game at the Lahaina Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 6-1
Notable games: lost 79-73 to Michigan State, beat Vanderbilt 70-63
Overview: As bad as the Jayhawks looked in the second half against Michigan State, I’m not going to replace them with Iowa State or Oklahoma until the ‘Clones or Sooners come up with some wins against actual competition. Bill Self has returned to his two point guard attack, and because of it, their offense is thriving, with an offensive rating that ranks 11th in the country. Their defense hasn’t been quite up to Bill Self speed (their defensive rating is good for 44th in the country), but Cheick Diallo finally becoming eligible should alleviate some of that stress.
What I liked: their pace of play
Coming into Saturday’s action, the Jayhawks ranked 36th in the country in pace. They failed to crack the top 100 the previous two seasons, and that was with athletes like Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre on the team. Guys who should have thrived in transition.
Kansas hasn’t had a dual point guard lineup since the 2011-12 season, and even then they ranked just 135th in pace of play, mostly because their offense was built around All-American Thomas Robinson. No other Bill Self-coached Kansas team has cracked the top 50 in pace of play.
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With the versatility of Wayne Selden, who is playing by far the best basketball of his career, the Jayhawks virtually have three point guards in their backcourt. Selden, Frank Mason, and Devonte Graham are all averaging over three assists per game. What makes that even more impressive is how little they’re turning the ball over, with Selden doing it 1.7 times per game, Mason 1.2, and Graham just 0.8. The Jayhawks as a team are 39th in the country in turnovers committed.
It’s hard to tell how long they’re going to play this fast. They might slow things down once conference play starts. I don’t think that’s wise, but this may be out of Bill Self’s comfort zone. We’ll see. So for now, let’s just enjoy plays like this while they’re still happening.
The shot clock was at 28 second by the time Selden dunked this ball, and they dribbled the ball just once! It’s a beautiful thing to watch,
What I didn’t like: whatever happened in the second half against Michigan State
I don’t know what to call this, and I don’t know who to blame. Things went downhill quick for the Jayhawks after a first half that led many to believe they, particularly Perry Ellis, would dominate this game. But they stopped giving the ball to Ellis, and the guards started forcing things. Why is Ellis floating around the perimeter and why is Graham forcing up terrible shots like this with plenty of time on the shot clock?
And this was a common sight in the second half. From the beginning of the second half until that shot by Graham, Ellis had put up just three shots, making two of them. This was after a 14 point first half.
Again, I’m not sure who to blame here. Is it on the guards for forcing things? Is it on Bill Self for not making it a priority to get the ball to Ellis? Or is it on Ellis for not being aggressive enough? Bill Self was rather critical of Ellis following Kansas’ win over Harvard on Saturday (via the Kansas City Star):
"He hasn’t been the same since we got back from Maui, and I’m not speaking negatively at all, because I love his game. I think he’s so good. But he hasn’t been himself. He hasn’t been aggressive."
So the jury is out on this. Ellis was supposed to shoulder a big load for Kansas this season, and while his 15 points per game isn’t necessarily disappointing, he always seems to leave fans wanting more. Thankfully, Wayne Selden is taking much of the load from Ellis this year.
Next: Oklahoma Sooners