College Basketball: 2016 Kansas Jayhawks Season Preview
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Twitter: @charlie_cds3
Kansas Jayhawks
Conference: Big 12
2015-16 Record: 33-5, 15-3
Head Coach: Bill Self
Postseason Finish: Lost 64-59 to Villanova in the Elite Eight
Kansas 2016 Schedule Overview
The Kansas Jayhawks won their 12th straight regular season championship last season and is now one shy of tying the record of 13 set by UCLA from 1967-1979.
With the reloading of talent the Jayhawks have done through recruiting mixed with the veterans already on the roster, Kansas is once again the favorite to take the Big 12 crown. The Jayhawks are ranked in the Top 5 in many of the preseason polls with heavy expectations to be one of the best teams in the country throughout the season.
Kansas opens the season against Indiana on Nov. 11 in the Armed Forces Classic in Hawaii then follows that up with a match up against a tough Duke squad on Nov. 15 in the Champions Classic in Madison Square Garden. Other notable non-conference games include Stanford on Dec. 3, Nebraska on Dec. 10 and then traveling to Las Vegas to take on UNLV Dec. 22. The last non-conference game will be the biggest as the Jayhawks will travel to Rupp Arena to take on the mighty Kentucky Wildcats.
The Big 12 conference schedule for the Jayhawks opens on Dec. 30 on the road at TCU. Other notable conference games includes Oklahoma, Iowa State, West Virginia, and Texas.
Frontcourt
Perry Ellis, the leading scorer last year, has departed due to graduation so Kansas has some big shoes to fill in the frontcourt. The two big men who are slated to have bigger roles this year will be senior 6’10” center Landen Lucas who averaged 5.8 PPG and 6.8 RPG and sophomore 6’9” forward Carlton Bragg Jr., a McDonald’s All-American, who only averaged 3.8 PPG and 2.5 RPG last season. Both players showed flashes of toughness last season and look to show off their skills in a bigger way this year.
Other players who should see some playing time in the paint will be junior 6’9” forward Dwight Coleby, a transfer from Ole Miss, who sat out last year due to an ACL injury and NCAA transfer rules, and 6’8” freshman forward Mitch Lightfoot from Gilbert, Arizona. However there is another freshman who could potentially play a lot and that is 7’0”, 280 pound, center Udoka Azubuike from Lagos, Nigeria. Azubuike can use his toughness and size to have his way in the paint going up against opposing big men on the glass.
Backcourt
The Jayhawks’ two veteran guards, Devonte’ Graham (11.3) and Frank Mason III (12.9), both averaged over 10 points a game last season and will be the leaders of the team this year. Along with his 12.9 PPG, the 5’11” Mason led Kansas in assists with 4.6 per game last year and has the ability to make plays for himself or his teammates at any time. Graham, who is 6’2”, connected on 44.1 percent of his three pointers and came up big in the clutch in key moments of some the Jayhawks’ biggest games last year.
Another sharpshooter who could log some significant minutes will be 6’8” guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk from Cherkasy, Ukraine, who made 40 percent of his three pointers last season. Another guard who will show improvement from last year fighting for minutes this season is sophomore 6’5” guard Lagerald Vick.
Despite all the talent that Kansas has on the floor, Josh Jackson will be their best player. The 6’8”, 200 pound, freshman from Detroit, Michigan, has tremendous athleticism to make plays at the rim both offensively and defensively. Another thing that will fire up Jayhawk fans is his passion for playing hard and winning.
Photo credit: slamonline.com; Josh Jackson gets a dunk.