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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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OMAHA, NE – MARCH 25: Lagerald Vick #2 and Udoka Azubuike #35 of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts against the Duke Blue Devils during the second half in the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional at CenturyLink Center on March 25, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
OMAHA, NE – MARCH 25: Lagerald Vick #2 and Udoka Azubuike #35 of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts against the Duke Blue Devils during the second half in the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional at CenturyLink Center on March 25, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Udoka Azubuike’s injury, and the play of the center position

The center position has multiple issues within it, but we’ll keep it at one broad issue.

The main part of the concern with the center condition stems from Udoka Azubuike’s injury.

The star center is out for the remainder of his junior season with a hand injury. And while Azubuike’s absence leaves a big production void regardless of position, the fact that Kansas does not have another center on its active roster is what makes the injury such a big deal.

You would think that a recruiting powerhouse as prominent as Kansas would have at least one more solid option at center. In this case, not so much.

Sure, Kansas has been able to fill in the position, but not with true centers. Power forwards David McCormack and Mitch Lightfoot have played good minutes since the injury, but they are centers by trade, and completely change the dynamic of the Jayhawks’ lineup without Azubuike.

Furthermore, these replacements aren’t exactly putting up big numbers. McCormack, who played center in high school but is listed as a power forward on Kansas’ roster, is averaging just two points and two rebounds per game. Lightfoot, on the other hand, hasn’t been much better, averaging just 1.8 points and two rebounds per game.

Yeah, not good. As long as Silvio De Souza, a sophomore center, remains sidelined by the NCAA in lieu of the FBI investigation, the center position is going to be a major issue for Bill Self’s team throughout the remainder of the season.

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