College Basketball Power 10: Watch Out For Baylor Bears
By Jeremy Karll
5. Kansas (7-1)
Kansas’ season-opening overtime loss to Indiana seems like centuries ago. The Jayhawks have rattled off seven straight wins, which includes a win over a respectable team in Stanford last week and top-ranked Duke earlier in the season.
This week, the Associated Press Top 25 had Kansas third. It’s hard to argue with that ranking with the way they’ve looked as of late. Still, their lone loss haunts them as undefeated teams remain.
The Jayhawks rank fifth in field-goal percentage at 51.5 percent and 18th in three-point percentage at 40.8 percent.
They’re as efficient an offense as they come, but even with star freshman defender Josh Jackson, Kansas’ defense has come into question against good teams this season.
Indiana scored 103 points including overtime and 89 in regulation, while Duke and Stanford each topped 70 points.
Granted the Jayhawks still won two of those three games, but there’s a clear discrepancy on defense against bad and good teams, which could form into bigger problems in conference play.
Against their other five opponents, Siena is the only team to score at least 65 points.
While it’s normal to give up more points to better teams, Kansas allowed Indiana, Duke and Stanford to average 84 points per game. That compares to the 60 points per contest the Jayhawks have surrendered to lesser lights Siena, UAB, Georgia. UNC Asheville and Long Beach State.
It’s still early in the season, so Kansas will have time to tighten up their defense. Still, owning the 125th ranked scoring defense shows a clear issue at hand.
Kansas will play UMKC and an underrated Nebraska team this week.