From preseason No. 1 to fifth in a so-so Big 12 Conference: What’s wrong with the Kansas Jayhawks?

For most college basketball teams, a 17-8 record through mid-February with a No. 23 ranking in the AP Top 25 would constitute a very fine season. But for Kansas, a projected 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament, this is a borderline disaster. The Jayhawks play Tuesday night at BYU in a game that will send the loser to sixth in the conference. They’ve lost three consecutive road games — and 12 of the last 16 dating back to last season. Last week, they fell out of the AP top 10, snapping a streak of 55 straight weeks there. In December, the Jayhawks lost back-to-back non-conference games for the first time since 2017. 

Overall, the preseason No. 1 Jayhawks have lost four of their last eight games in the Big 12, which is not nearly as strong as it had been in prior years, when Bill Self ruled the conference. Considering my knowledge of the program as a Kansas City resident and somebody who covers college basketball recruiting and the transfer portal, my editors teed me up with three burning questions to answer about Kansas’ season thus far. 

1. What is Kansas’ biggest problem? 

There is a lot going on with Kansas right now but in my estimation the biggest issue that they have is that they just aren’t very dynamic offensively. While Zeke Mayo has been a very pleasant addition out of the portal, they haven’t gotten the offensive pop they were hoping from from either AJ Storr or Rylan Griffin. Hunter Dickinson can certainly score and is a major concern for opposing defenses, but he needs more shot makers and athleticism around him. 

Dajuan Harris Jr. and KJ Adams have given much to the program, but neither is a potent scorer. Because of that they are inconsistent offensively and the lack of guys who can go and create offense on their own really has them moving in mud at times.

2. How much are you shorting Kansas’ ceiling the next month? 

As much as Kansas has struggled at times, they still have potential to make a run and as much as they’ve shown a tendency to play down to their level of competition, they still have an upside. They are among the most experienced teams in college basketball and despite what the lunatic fringe might think, Self is still one of the very best that there is in all of college basketball. 

On a neutral floor, Kansas beat Duke. They outplayed Houston before a once-in-a-lifetime meltdown in the final seconds. The Jayhawks haven’t made it to the second weekend in either of the last two NCAA Tournaments and if they want to be more than one or two and they are going to need a gut check.

3. Kansas has a 5-star signee in Darryn Peterson who Self loves. How much would he help? 

Peterson is the most dynamic scorer in all of high school basketball. What he does best is score off of the dribble with efficiency and from all three levels is exactly what Kansas is missing the most. 

Peterson has great size, he plays with pace and he’s never rushed or lets any moment get too big for him. He’s also an elite defender and while his scoring gets the most attention, he’s a terrific passer and this specific Kansas team desperately needs somebody else to lighten Dajuan Harris’ load as a primary ball handler and playmaker. Looking ahead to next season when Harris is gone, all indications are that Peterson is going to be given the ball from Day 1 and will have a lot of freedom to make plays for himself and others giving Kansas an entirely different look. 

Ideally, Kansas will find another ball handler in the portal to help ease the transition for Peterson, but he’s got the talent to handle the role as a primary ball handler and should be an upgrade.