Big 12 Basketball: Key storylines heading into 2019 NCAA Tournament
By Chris Kern
Kansas’ Struggles
We all saw the Kansas Jayhawks Big 12 regular season title streak come to an end this season. That was partly due to the quality of teams who finished ahead of them but a lot of it has to do with how Kansas has struggled on a nightly basis. Some of it has to do with losing Udoka Azubuike and LaGerald Vick but the other players on the roster were supposed to be much better than they currently are.
Outside of Dedric Lawson, this team has really struggled to get consistent scoring on the offensive end. Other guys have had big games at times but it seems to change on a game-to-game basis. They expected guys such as K.J. Lawson and Charlie Moore to play big roles but they have been a big disappointment which has led to the freshman getting the bulk of the minutes.
Devon Dotson has had a good freshman season but he has struggled at times as you would expect out of a young point guard. The rest of the team hasn’t been able to step up consistently when he struggles which makes his performance that much more needed.
They have started to develop a good rotation inside though. David McCormack has been playing well for the most part and when he struggles at times Kansas is able to rely on Mitch Lightfoot to make an impact just by playing hard and blocking shots.
The three wing players are who will determine how far this team goes. Quentin Grimes has had a very disappointing season but he has had a couple of games this season where he was fantastic so they’ll need some of that to advance deep into the NCAA Tournament. Marcus Garrett has struggled on the offensive end but he is an elite defender and if he is able to consistently get to the rim and finish, then this team will be positively impacted.
The other guy is the more interesting story, and likely the guy who fans have the highest expectations for. Ochai Agbaji has had some big moments since pulling his redshirt early on in conference play. He hasn’t been shooting the ball with confidence but he still has made an impact in other ways. No matter how else he contributes they still need his shooting as this team doesn’t have good shooters who they can count on since Vick left.
The players have struggled for much of the season but the team as a whole has struggled away from home. They have just a 3-8 record in true road games but they were a perfect 17-0 at Allen Fieldhouse. Many people bring up the fact that Kansas is 5-1 in neutral court games with wins over Michigan State, Tennessee, and Marquette. Those are impressive wins but they took place in November when this was a completely different team.
Bill Self is going to have his hands full on coming up with a gameplan heading into the NCAA Tournament because he just doesn’t know who he can trust. These players better find a way to step up, otherwise, Kansas will be headed home early.