Kansas Basketball: 3 takeaways from blowout loss at Tennessee

Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James (5) blocks a shot by Kansas forward Jalen Wilson (10) during a basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Kansas Jayhawks at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee on Saturday, January 30, 2021.013021 Tenn Kan /

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West Virginia Mountaineers Emmitt Matthews Jr. Kansas Basketball Marcus Garrett Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /

2. A sub-200 team in defending the three-ball, the Jayhawks’ woes plagued them against the Volunteers

Statistically, the Jayhawks are average in nearly every single category – but their most glaring mark might be just how awful they have been in defending beyond the arc. As a team, the Jayhawks are allowing teams to shoot 35.4% from outside, which ranks 241st in college basketball.

That mark has been even worse in Big 12 play, where Kansas has allowed conference foes to shoot a blistering 38.3% from long range. Their struggles were particularly noteworthy in their three-game losing streak, where they gave up clips of 42.9% (Oklahoma State), 47.4% (Baylor), and 37.5% (Oklahoma). Against TCU, the Jayhawks shot just 23.5% from long range – while the Horned Frogs were a stellar 38.1%.

This issue reared its ugly head again against the Volunteers, where Tennessee – not a stellar 3P% shooting team by any means, knocking down shots at a 34.0% clip (147th) – were 61.5% from outside, going 8-13 for the game. The Jayhawks, meanwhile, were an abysmal 25.0% (6-24).

This is the worst the Jayhawks have defended the three-ball since the 2016-17 squad that featured Frank Mason, Josh Jackson, and Devonte’ Graham. Additionally – what makes that conference mark even worse for Kansas – is the fact that just two teams in the Big 12 (Baylor and West Virginia) maintain better offensive 3P% marks than Kansas’ 3P% defensive mark, meaning they have allowed five other teams – who normally struggle from 3P% – to rain long-range bombs on them.

If Kansas hopes to stand a chance on the national level, they will need to improve upon that mark. The 2017 team – which finished the year at 31-5 – fell to Oregon in the NCAA Tournament because they allowed the Ducks to knock down 11 three-pointers on a 44.0% 3PT clip.

With this year’s team holding teams to a nearly-identical mark as that 2017 team, one team’s hot three-point shooting night could be the difference-maker in ending Kansas’ season in March.

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