Kansas Basketball: Jayhawks should be in the mix for a national title in 2016-17

Coming off a loss to Villanova in the Elite Eight, Kansas basketball figures to be in the mix for a national title again in 2016-17.

Kansas won their 12th straight Big 12 regular season title last year. They were the NCAA Tournament’s number one overall seed and were one of the clear favorites to cut down the nets in Houston.

That is until they ran into Villanova.

Kansas Jayhawks

2015-16 Season

Overall Record: 33-5

Big 12 Record: 15-3 (First)

All-Conference: Perry Ellis (First Team), Frank Mason III (Second Team), Wayne Selden Jr. (Second Team) Devonte’ Graham (Honorable Mention), Landen Lucas (Honorable Mention)

Conference Tournament: Champions (10^th title).

NCAA Tournament: Lost to Villanova, 64-59 (Elite Eight).

2016-17 Season

Losses: Ellis, Selden, Hunter Mickelson (6-10 senior), Jamari Taylor (6-8 forward), Evan Manning (6-3 guard) Cheick Diallo* (6-9 forward).

Returners: Mason, Graham, Lucas, Lagerald Vick (6-5 guard), Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (6-8 guard), Tyler Self (6-2 guard), Brannen Greene (6-7 guard), Carlton Bragg, Jr. (6-9 forward), Clay Young (6-5 forward), Dwight Coleby (6-9 forward).

Newcomers: Josh Jackson (6-7 forward, Southfield, Mich.), Udoka Azubuike (6-11 center, Jacksonville, Fla.), Mitch Lightfoot (6-8 forward, Gilbert, Ariz.).

*Diallo declared for the NBA Draft, but has not hired an agent.

2016-17 could be Kansas’ year

The numbers read as if they were lifted from a dictionary definition of dominance. Simply put, the Kansas Jayhawks have made the Big 12 Conference their own personal playground for more than a decade under the direction of head coach Bill Self.

Counting 2015-16, Self’s team has now claimed 12 consecutive regular season conference crowns. Kansas has also won seven Big 12 Tourney titles since 2006 and is working on a streak of 27 straight trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Despite all the success, there’s one thing Self’s program is still striving for: another national championship.

The last time Kansas stood on top of the mountain was in 2008 when a 37-3 Jayhawks’ team famously rallied back on Mario Chalmers’ last-second three-pointer to force overtime before defeating Memphis 75-68.

Since then, Kansas has been eliminated in the Sweet 16 in 2009 and 2013, qualified for the Elite Eight in 2011 and 2016, and were national runners-up in 2012. Through it all, a second national championship during the Self era has eluded the Jayhawks.

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Will 2016-17 be the year Kansas breaks through for a fourth NCAA title in program history?

The talent for a run will certainly be there.

Even with the losses of Perry Ellis to graduation, Wayne Selden, Jr. to the NBA Draft and the possibility of a one-and-done career in Lawrence for ballyhooed recruit Cheick Diallo, Kansas will feature a stockpiled roster of talent and experience.

In Frank Mason III, Self and company have arguably the nation’s top point guard. The Petersburg, Va. native averaged 12.9 points per game and dished out a team-leading 175 assists during his junior campaign.

Mason will be joined by a pair of fellow returners in sharp-shooter Devonte’ Graham and emergent forward Landen Lucas, giving the Jayhawks three proven performers to lean on.

Filling Ellis’ shoes won’t be an easy task since the do-everything forward led the team with a 16.9 scoring average. Replacing Selden will also be difficult as the versatile forward put up 13.8 points per outing in 2015-16.

Fortunately for Self’s club, a loaded recruiting class is on its way to Allen Fieldhouse.

The biggest catch is five-star forward Josh Jackson, who spurned Michigan State and a host of others to commit to the Jayhawks earlier this month. An immensely talented prospect, the Southfield, Mich. native is considered amongst the very best in the class of 2016 and his addition gives Kansas a potential game-changer up front.

Along with Jackson, the Jayhawks add another five-star prospect in 6-foot-11 Udoka Azubuike while 6-foot-8 Mitch Lightfoot currently rounds out the class. Blue-chip power forward Jarrett Allen is also considering Kansas and would only add to an already strong group of newcomers joining Self’s team.

Regardless of what happens with Allen, it’s clear Kansas will have plenty of talent on hand for next season.

Will it add up to a run to the Final Four once March rolls around?

Kansas fans probably felt like they had been kicked in the gut once the final buzzer sounded in their 64-59 loss to Villanova at this year’s Elite Eight. It was an admittedly disappointing end to a 33-5 campaign that yielded both a Big 12 regular season and tournament title.

But if there’s one thing Self and his team have proven time and time again, it’s that they know how to win. Under his tutelage, Kansas has won at least 30 games seven times while racking up a 164-36 record in conference play since 2003-04.

Next: Top 10 National Championship finishes in history

In other words, Kansas is always right there, knocking on the NCAA Championship door. If everything comes together in 2016-17, the Jayhawks might have an opportunity to finally break down that door and claim another national title.

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