NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga, Houston lead in updated way-too-early top 25 ranking
By Joey Loose
6. Kansas
Last season, Kansas won the national championship, giving coach Bill Self his second title. The Jayhawks have had multiple teams with championship-caliber rosters in recent years, and last year’s level of talent was no joke. Things will look quite a bit different on the Kansas sidelines and bench, but that doesn’t mean this year’s team isn’t extremely talented.
Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun are both gone, leaving two gigantic holes on the roster, and that’s not even the beginning, with David McCormack and Remy Martin also moving on. They do get Jalen Wilson (last year’s 3rd-leading scorer) back for another season, and unite with him with the talents of Kevin McCullar, a guard transferring from Texas Tech. Kansas will also get important minutes from a slew of freshmen, highlighted by 5-star forward Gradey Dick.
Losing neither Wilson nor McCullar to the Draft process was a big win in Lawrence. If those young players can contribute and take that necessary step forward, then that might be enough support behind Wilson and McCullar to keep Kansas atop the Big 12 standings. This Jayhawks roster certainly looks different from last season, and replacing a player like Agbaji is nearly impossible, but Bill Self’s done it before.