Kansas Basketball: 3 takeaways from blowout loss at Tennessee

3. In addition to the three-ball, the Jayhawks were dismantled inside – particularly on the boards

Of Kansas’ 11 wins, there may not be any as more impressive as the December 22nd blowout win over West Virginia, where the Jayhawks shut down the big man tandem of Derek Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe.  In addition, against a team that rebounds insanely well, the Jayhawks actually outrebounded the Mountaineers, outscoring them 25-14 in second-chance points and being outscored by just two in points in the paint.

But gone are those days, if Kansas’ performance against Tennessee is any indication.  The Volunteers – who do not feature a physical post inside like WVU’s Culver – carved the Jayhawks up inside, going 20-40 (50.0%) on two-pointers, while dominating Kansas on the glass, outrebounding the Jayhawks, 38-23.

Subsequently, the Volunteers maintained edges in both points in the paint (28-22) and second-chance points (14-0).  Tennessee’s posts – Yves Pons and John Fulkerson – were a combined 10-15 on two-pointers and combined for 28 points.  Without a doubt, this is a disappointing departure from the same Kansas team that dominated Culver and Tshiebwe inside – and it is an issue they need to address moving forward.

It has been bizarre, too – especially on the offensive glass.  The Jayhawks rank 76th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage at 31.2%, but that mark is nearly 2% worse in conference play.  It has been a consistent issue, too – the Jayhawks have been outrebounded in their last four outings now, and have struggled to haul much down on the offensive glass.  Most notably, Kansas recorded just two offensive boards in the loss to Oklahoma.

Without a doubt, and this needs to be made known – this is not a typical Kansas squad.  It is not littered with NBA lottery picks, nor is this team currently in the position to fight for a Big 12 title.  But this also looks like a completely different – and worse team – than what we saw just last month.

Kansas’ remaining schedule is give-or-take, too, meaning they have opportunities to fix issues against weaker teams – but they also have a gauntlet remaining.  They still have Kansas State and Iowa State – both twice – but also have to endure rematches with West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Texas, and Baylor.  If the Jayhawks hope to make any noise, they need to work on these issues immediately – and it can all begin on Tuesday at home against Kansas State.