23. Kansas (10-4)
At their best, Kansas can compete with anyone, showing their strength with big wins in Las Vegas and a nice effort at NC State a few weeks ago. The Jayhawks have been shorthanded at times, playing without star freshman Darryn Peterson but they’re fortunate to have him back in the lineup for league play. You’ve had to look a bit further down than usual to find Kansas on the Big 12 standings, but will it be any different this season?
If we’re overreacting to one game then the answer is yes, as the Jayhawks fell 81-75 at UCF in their Big 12 opener on Saturday. Peterson starred with 26 points and 6 rebounds while Melvin Council Jr. added 20 points, but there was a lot of inconsistent shooting beyond that pair. The defense just couldn’t hold on in Orlando, putting Kansas in the early hole in conference.
The previous losses for the Jayhawks were all to top-level foes but we’re still not pressing the panic button after falling at UCF. Kansas is always going to get the best from their foes and simply have to play better team basketball moving forward. Each passing game seems to cement that Peterson is a star but the faces around him have to show up too. Kansas hosts TCU in a few days before heading to West Virginia, hoping to avert early panic.