Kansas looks to defend their No. 1 ranking against South Dakota from the Summit League. Should the Jayhawks be worried about a potential upset?
TV schedule: Tuesday, December 18, 8:00 pm ET. ESPN+
Arena: Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas
One of just nine unbeaten teams left, Kansas (9-0) is coming off of a pair of close games from last week. They held on against New Mexico State, before holding on at home to beat Villanova, 74-71.
With starting center Udoka Azubuike out until Big 12 play, the Jayhawks have been relying on their two star players, Dedric Lawson and Lagerald Vick. The duo combined to produce 57 points and 19 rebounds in the win over the Wildcats, with the rest of the team scoring just 17 points.
One player who needs to get back going is freshman guard Quentin Grimes. He scored just one point in 14 minutes and has looked a shell of himself since the Champions Classic. He and Devon Dotson are the keys to Kansas looking like a true No. 1 team and a national title contender.
Including New Mexico State, the Jayhawks have struggled to dominate mid-major foes this season. They get another one in South Dakota (6-5), coming off their most impressive performance of the season in a five-point win over Colorado State on the road.
After losing their top player to the transfer market, the Coyotes are using a more balanced approach on offense. Six players average between 7.6 ppg and 13.5 ppg, with senior Trey Burch-Manning leading the team in both scoring and rebounding. They’re a small team with no rotation player over 6’8 but gives up under 63 ppg, good for top-30 in the country.
Kansas has a revenge game against a ranked opponent in Arizona State this Saturday, so the possibility of them overlooking the Coyotes is there. But Vick snapped out of a recent slump against Villanova last week and should be good to continue his strong overall start to the season. The supporting cast for the Jayhawks might be unable to make this game be a blowout but the final scorer should end in favor of the top team.