Kansas Basketball: Next steps following postseason loss

This was a disappointing season for Kansas basketball. They have a young roster, though, so the future is bright. Here are the steps Kansas needs to take.

This Kansas Basketball team that had such high hopes coming into the season. They had one of the best rosters in the country and were the No. 1 ranked team in the preseason. This is a team that dealt with drama and injuries all season and they never were able to recover.

They were without Silvio De Sousa for the whole season, but even after that they still had enough to compete for a national title. Udoka Azubuike and Dedric Lawson formed one of, if not the best big man duos in the country. Azubuike would only play nine games all season due to injuries.

After they knew they would be without those two, they realized they were going to have to play smaller lineups. They had been doing so for the majority of the past two years so even then Kansas felt comfortable with what they had. It didn’t go as well as expected without Azubuike, but they still seemed to be a very good basketball team.

Then in the middle of conference play, Lagerald Vick took a leave of absence from the team and he would never return. He didn’t make much of an impact besides with his shooting, but he had some huge performances this season. This is a team that struggled to hit shots and he was able to bail out the offense on many occasions.

Despite the up and down season, the Jayhawks have a bright future in Lawrence. We’ll have to wait and see who comes back, but either way, they should be an improved team next season. Here are a few steps Kansas needs to take to get better going forward.