Kansas Jayhawks
2023-2024 Result: 23-11 record (10-8 Big 12), NCAA tournament appearance
Projected Starting Lineup
Head Coach: Bill Self (23rd season)
Guard: Dajuan Harris Jr. (5th year)
Guard: AJ Storr (JR)
Guard: Rylan Griffen (JR)
Forward: KJ Adams (SR)
Center: Hunter Dickinson (5th year)
Key Additions
AJ Storr (Wisconsin)
Rylan Griffen (Alabama)
Shakeel Moore (Mississippi State)
Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State)
Flory Bidunga (5-star recruit)
Rakease Passmore (4-star recruit)
Key Losses
Johnny Furphy
Kevin McCullar Jr.
Nicholas Timberlake
The Kansas Jayhawks are coming off their second worst offensive season in the Bill Self era (51st Adjusted Offense, per Torvik), but Self dove into the transfer portal to make sure they wouldn’t have another disappointing season on that end. Adding the perimeter firepower of AJ Storr, Rylan Griffen, Shakeel Moore, and Zeke Mayo will certainly patch up the shooting issues the Jayhawks dealt with a year ago. These newly added guards will allow all-american center Hunter Dickinson’s game to open up in the post, as he will have more 1 on 1 opportunities along with making opposing defenses pay the price when they send double teams. The extra offense for Kansas should also help out Dajuan Harris, who profiles more as a pass first guard and the added spacing will give him more room to create plays for others. The only issue with the offense is the lack of perimeter scoring Harris and KJ Adams bring, and they will be on the floor together for a majority of the time. These 2 are entering their fourth year playing together so it won’t present any major issues, but it is something to keep an eye on if this offense comes out of the gates slow to start the year. This offense will be much improved overall and should be back in the mix as one of the best in the nation.
As for the defensive end for the Jayhawks, expect a slight drop off in production from last season. Kansas retained important pieces from last year’s top 15 defense, but losing Kevin McCullar Jr was always going to be difficult to replace. As good as Storr, Griffen, and Mayo can be on offense, they will be a bit of a negative defensively compared to last year’s wing group. Outside of this issue, Kansas should be rock solid. The frontcourt combo of Adams and Dickinson have shown they can hold their own on the interior, along with Dajuan Harris being an on-ball pest/defensive playmaker. It wouldn't shock me if the defense was just as good as last season due to the added depth gives Self more flexibility on this end, but the lack of overall perimeter defensive talent brings skepticism that they can be an elite unit again.
After a “down year” in Lawrence last season, the Jayhawks have the balance to be a national championship contender once again and will almost certainly be a favorite to win the Big 12. The vastly improved depth will give Self more options to morph this roster into what he wants it to be as opposed to last year, where he was sort of handcuffed. The Big 12 schedule is always a gauntlet and there are a variety of teams that can compete for the title, but we should expect this conference to go through Lawrence this upcoming season.