Kansas Jayhawks: 28-4, 16-2 in the Big 12
Head coach: Bill Self (14th season)
Players to watch: Frank Mason III (20.8 PPG, 5.1 APG, 48.7 3PT%); Josh Jackson (16.4 PPG, 3.1 APG, 7.2 RPG); Devonte’ Graham (13.1 PPG, 4.3 APG, 37.9 3PT%)
Season recap: With a cast of returning characters in National Player of the Year candidate and point guard Frank Mason III, Devonte’ Graham and Landen Lucas combined with the raw talent of presumptive top-five NBA Draft pick Josh Jackson, Kansas has consistently been one of the nation's top teams since November.
Although the Jayhawks dropped their season opener to then-No. 11 Indiana, they have since padded their resume thanks to a season average 82.7 points per game on 48.7 percent shooting from the floor. Those shooting statistics—combined with 38.8 rebounds per contest—propelled Kansas past then-No. 1 Duke, then-No. 4 Kentucky and then-No. 9 West Virginia. The Jayhawks also swept its series with Baylor, which was ranked in the top five both times the Big-12 powerhouses met.
Multiple individual Kansas players faced legal trouble throughout the season, culminating in a one-game suspension for Jackson during the Big 12 tournament Thursday night. The Jayhawks fell 85-82 to TCU, marking their worst conference tournament finish since 2009 and costing Kansas the overall No. 1 seed in the Big Dance.
But even with that loss and slip-ups at home against Iowa State and at West Virginia during the regular season, the Jayhawks captured a 13th straight regular-season conference crown with ease and have the star power to win a fourth national championship.
How they make a run: The Jayhawks shake their off-the-court troubles, with role players like Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Lagerald Vick heating up on the perimeter and Carlton Bragg Jr. supporting Lucas inside.
How they falter: Kansas’ success is once again tied to a few star players, and Mason and Jackson cannot get shots to fall in another shocking early-round exit for the Jayhawks.
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