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Kansas Basketball: Why Jayhawks won’t win the Big 12 in 2018-19

By Jason Kinander

LAWRENCE, KANSAS - JANUARY 14: Lagerald Vick #24 of the Kansas Jayhawks lays the ball up against Dylan Osetkowski #21 of the Texas Longhorns in the first half at Allen Fieldhouse on January 14, 2019 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KANSAS - JANUARY 14: Lagerald Vick #24 of the Kansas Jayhawks lays the ball up against Dylan Osetkowski #21 of the Texas Longhorns in the first half at Allen Fieldhouse on January 14, 2019 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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LAWRENCE, KANSAS – JANUARY 14: Matt Coleman III #2 of the Texas Longhorns shoots against Ochai Agbaji #30 of the Kansas Jayhawks in the second half at Allen Fieldhouse on January 14, 2019 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KANSAS – JANUARY 14: Matt Coleman III #2 of the Texas Longhorns shoots against Ochai Agbaji #30 of the Kansas Jayhawks in the second half at Allen Fieldhouse on January 14, 2019 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

Through just over two weeks of Big 12 Conference play, Kansas Basketball sits in a tie for first place. But could this be the year where the Jayhawks finally finish below the top spot?

Will this be the year when Kansas Basketball are finally dethroned in the Big 12?

I think so.

Despite a 15-2 start, and a #7 ranking in the country, all signs are pointing to this being the year in which Kansas falls short of winning the Big 12 regular season title.

The reasons why? We’ll get into that in a bit. But one thing is important; Kansas’ all-of-a-sudden falls from the top is not necessarily their fault.

During Kansas’ improbable stretch of winning consecutive Big 12 championships, they’ve had some pretty tough competitors. Well, this year is as tough as ever. The star power might be down in the Big 12, but the balance of the league is top-notch, and it certainly spells danger for a typically superior Jayhawks team.

2001 was the last time that Kansas didn’t have at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title. That’s 18 years. It has been a long, long time since Kansas didn’t win the Big 12, but I fully expect that streak to come to an end this season.

Several different variables come into play in Kansas’ season outlook, but if the first 17 games of the season have told us anything, it is that Kansas is not nearly as strong as in years past, and this team doesn’t look as strong as past Kansas regular season conference champion teams.

Kansas very well could win the Big 12, but it won’t be easy. The Jayhawks have surprised us before, but coming out on top this season would be as improbable as in those years. Kansas faces a long and challenging road back to the top, and here are three reasons why.

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