NCAA Basketball: Arizona, Baylor, and BYU rise in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
13. Kansas (21-8)
Just two years removed from a national championship, you could call this the worst regular season that Kansas has had in recent memory. After a 13-1 start that included some really impressive wins, most notably Tennessee and Connecticut, the Jayhawks have stumbled time after time in league play, with some frustrating results away from home. This week the frustration came at home as well.
The Jayhawks were shocked on Tuesday night, losing 76-68 at home against BYU in their first matchup with their new league rivals. Hunter Dickinson had 17 points and 11 rebounds but Kansas blew a halftime lead and lost at home for the first time all year. They didn’t fare any better over the weekend, falling 82-74 at Baylor. Both Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr. scored 20 points, but Kansas lost again despite shooting 55% from the field in Waco.
Kansas has some incredible wins this season, but they’ve also piled up a ton of head scratching losses. This is an extremely talented starting lineup that’s now lost four of their last seven games. Kansas has won just one of their last six road games. What exactly can this team accomplish in the Big Dance at this rate? A more pressing matter is how they’ll handle a rematch with Kansas State and a tough trip to Houston next week.