NCAA Basketball: Who should be the No. 1 team to start the 2023-24 season?
Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas has been in the headlines all offseason, mostly for good reasons. They landed who some would say was the top player in the transfer portal in Hunter Dickinson, a 20 and 10 caliber star center from Michigan. He replaces the outgoing Big 12 Player of the Year and All-American forward, Jalen Wilson.
Three other key starters are back for the Jayhawks, led by point guard and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Dajuan Harris Jr. Veteran wing Kevin McCullar and versatile forward KJ Adams give them one of the best defensive units in all of NCAA Basketball. The team also has some good incoming freshmen, most notably, wing Johnny Furphy and top-30 point guard, Elmarko Jackson.
The big concern with this team is the lack of overall depth. Kansas lost a lot of players to either the NBA Draft or the transfer portal. And they cut Texas transfer Arterio Morris, a projected starter when he was arrested for rape allegations. If Towson transfer Nicolas Timberlake doesn’t give them needed shooting, then all of the pressure will be on Dickinson and McCullar to provide offensively.
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There are potential pitfalls with this current roster that can’t be looked over. However, between the starting lineup and Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self, there also just aren’t clear holes if we assume the newcomers can have an impact. Add the experience factor and defensive potential, the Jayhawks have just as good a case to be No. 1 as any when the AP poll comes out.