Winning back-to-back men’s NCAA Tournaments is one of the hardest things to do in sports. That’s why it has only happened three times in the past 51 years: UCLA 1972-73, Duke 1991-92, and Florida 2006-07.
You know what’s even harder? Repeating as champs after you’ve lost most of your team. That’s what makes Kansas’ chase for back-to-back titles not just rare, but virtually unprecedented. According to data dug up by my CBS colleague Andrew Tulin, Florida lost just 6.8 percent of its points and 9.7 percent of its minutes from the ’06 champs. Duke lost 24.2 percent of its points and 26.0 percent of its minutes from the ’91 champs And UCLA lost 20.7 percent of its points from the 1972 champs. (Minutes weren’t kept as a statistic back then.)
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Kansas, on the other hand, lost 73.7 percent of its points and 62.7 percent of its minutes from the squad that beat North Carolina in the 2022 NCAA championship game in New Orleans. The Jayhawks lost six of their top eight scorers from that team. Yet, the NCAA men’s basketball committee awarded Kansas a No. 1 seed during its bracket reveal on Saturday, and that was several hours before the Jayhawks came back from 17 points down to beat Baylor, 87-71, in Allen Fieldhouse and maintain its share of first place in the Big 12. If things continue on this path — and there’s no guarantee they will given how difficult the schedule is, beginning with a tough game at TCU on Monday night — then it’s conceivable that Kansas could be the No. 1 overall seed when the NCAA Tournament begins next month. Either way, the Jayhawks will be a trendy pick to win the title in an overwise wide-open year.
It’s never a shock when Kansas is among the best teams in the country, but when I ran these numbers by Kansas coach Bill Self on Sunday, he sounded surprised. “I hadn’t thought of quite like that, but it is amazing to me that we haven’t taken a bigger step backwards,” he said. “We anticipated we would, for sure. We all thought we’d have a good team, but I don’t think we thought this team would be as competitive and as tough as what they turned out to be.”
The Jayhawks have reloaded by relying upon the three pillars of continuity and excellence: recruiting (6-foot-8 freshman forward Gradey Dick, a lethal 3-point marksman), the transfer portal (6-6 senior guard Kevin McCullar, a Glue Guy from Texas Tech), and player development (6-8 junior forward Jalen Wilson, 6-1 junior point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. and 6-7 sophomore forward K.J. Adams have all taken huge steps forward). Most tellingly, the team has gotten better as the season has progressed. Here are three reasons to believe KU will cut down the nets in Houston, despite having a much different roster than the one that cut down the nets in New Orleans:
• The Wilsonettes are getting better. Wilson has morphed from a complementary role player to consensus All-American, averaging 20.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Yet, having such a dynamic offensive player can be a hindrance if the team is overly reliant on him. The Jayhawks have benefited from a much more balanced attack in recent weeks. Wilson scored just two points in an 88-80 home win over Texas on Feb. 6, and though he led the way with 21 points against Baylor on Saturday, three other KU starters scored between 14 and 17 points. It is telling that the Jayhawks are 2-3 this season in games where Wilson scored more than 25 points.
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Dick has emerged from his freshman-wall shooting slump, and Harris is showing more confidence as a scorer, though he can go dark for long stretches. He went scoreless in the first half against Baylor, but after Self lit him up in the halftime locker room, Harris went for 14 in the second half. “It’s sad when you gotta beg a guy to shoot,” Self said. Self has done plenty of begging since Wilson averaged 30.3 points during Kansas’ three-game losing streak in mid-January. “When Jalen is scoring in that 16-to-24 (point) range, we’re a much better basketball team than when he has to try to go out and get 30,” he said.
• The bench is getting deeper. How could Kansas be so bad at times and so good at others, as evidenced by the Baylor game? Self’s answer is simple: defensive effort. “The difference with us is whether we are energetic defensively,” he said. “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a team drop off any more than us, because we don’t have a lot of natural athletic ability. So we gotta be turned up, but there’s no way you can do that for 40 minutes.”
That’s where a deeper bench helps. The biggest boost of late has come from Ernest Udeh Jr., a 6-11 center from Orlando who is one of three Kansas freshmen who were McDonald’s All-Americans. Udeh averaged 7.5 minutes during the first 18 games, but Self played him 17 minutes during a 78-55 win at Oklahoma on Feb. 11. Udeh continued to play a bigger role the last two games, giving the Jayhawks size at the rim and athletic switchability on the perimeter, both of which have bolstered the defense. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t see it in him until a month ago,” Self told me.
Self has likewise found opportunities to force-feed playing time to 6-foot junior guard Joseph Yesufu, 6-5 freshman guard M.J. Rice, and 6-1 sophomore guard Bobby Pettiford. Zach Clemence, a 6-11 sophomore forward, hasn’t played since injuring his knee in a loss at Iowa State on Feb. 4, but he’s healthy and could be thrown into the mix if the situation calls for it. The production from reserves can be spotty, but the respite they provide the starters can make a huge difference during the grind of March. “When you play five guys 33 minutes, it’s hard to keep their energy up,” Self said. “Our bench was bad for a while, but I do think we’re getting better.”
• The Self Factor. Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams and Jay Wright are gone. John Calipari, Tom Izzo and Mark Few don’t have the talent they’ve had in the past. There are many other good coaches out there, but none combines the tactile acumen, knowledge and pedigree Self brings to March Madness. His ability to make halftime tweaks enabled the Jayhawks to erase the biggest championship game deficit in history (16 points) over North Carolina. When his team trailed Baylor by 13 points at halftime on Saturday, Self decided to abandon Kansas’ usual switching defense and instruct McCullar and Harris to lock in on Baylor guards L.J. Cryer and Adam Flagler. He also tweaked the offense to emphasize cutting and driving over jump shots. That led to an early burst in the second half, which got Allen Fieldhouse rocking, which fed KU’s energy and produced what was arguably the best half of basketball any team has played this season.
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It was a stark reminder that during a time of unprecented roster movement, having a rock of consistency on the sideline can be the most prized asset of all. None of the other schools that were awarded No. 1 seeds on Saturday has won an NCAA championship. Kansas has won four, and Self has won two. Will his Jayhawks pull off the most unlikely repeat in the modern history of the NCAA Tournament? Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but their prospects of doing are growing by the day.
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Other Hoop Thoughts
• It wasn’t enough for UCLA coach Mick Cronin to voice his disagreement with the selection committee’s decision to assign the Bruins a No. 2 seed (and the No. 8 overall seed) during Saturday’s bracket reveal. Cronin had to label it “comical” and went on to accuse the committee of underseeding the Bruins as payback for the school’s decision to leave the Pac-12. Talk about comical! First of all, why would the committee care about a school changing leagues? Texas was the overall No. 5 seed, and that school is leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. Of the nearly 150 mock brackets curated on bracketmatrix.com, not one has UCLA as a No. 1 seed — including our own Brian Bennett, who like almost all the other experts pegged the Bruins as a No. 2. Moreover, the two teams that were ranked ahead of UCLA on the No. 2 seed line, Baylor and Arizona, beat the Bruins in head-to-head matchups. And while UCLA is performing very well in the metrics (No. 4 in the NET), the reality is that the Bruins’ best win this season came at Maryland.
If Cronin or any other coach wants to take issue with their team’s position in the bracket, have at it. But to deride these decisions as “comical” and suggest they are the result of far-flung conspiracy theories, the way Buzz Williams did last year when Texas A&M was left out, is inaccurate, unfair, irresponsible and unbecoming.
• Kudos to Northwestern coach Chris Collins for calling out his own fans after they directed vulgar chants at Indiana forward Miller Kopp, who transferred from Northwestern two years ago, during the Wildcats’ win over Indiana Wednesday night. This is a new type of low-rent fan behavior that has been occurring frequently this season — and it needs to stop. It’s one thing for fans to get on coaches who left for another job, but it’s classless to spew vitriol at a player who transferred elsewhere when almost every single team in the country (including Northwestern) has brought in players from the portal. There’s no easy way to police language coming from fans, but a lot of these student sections are pretty organized. If enough coaches and administrators make this point in advance to the public and to the student leaders specifically, there’s a good chance the chants will cease. Let’s nip this abhorrent trend in the bud before it gets any worse.
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• There are many reasons why Purdue is in a slump of late, but none bigger than this: Freshman guard Fletcher Loyer has shot 21 percent from 3 over his last 10 games. He made 37.4 percent from behind the arc in his first 18 games. It’s not uncommon for freshmen to hit a wall this time of year, but this feels more like Mount Vesuvius. Basketball is a pretty simple game. When the ball goes in, it’s easier to win. If Loyer can get his legs and his touch back, the Boilermakers will go back to being borderline unbeatable.
• TCU senior guard Mike Miles Jr. returned on Saturday after missing the previous five games because of a hyperextended knee. Not coincidentally, the Horned Frogs snapped a four-game losing streak in convincing style by beating a very good Oklahoma State team, 100-75, in Fort Worth. Yes, the return of the team’s leading scorer and preseason Big 12 player of the year made a huge difference, but that is only one of a slew of injuries and absences the Horned Frogs have dealt with this season. The team’s second-best player, 6-11 sophomore center Eddie Lampkin, has been hobbled by an ankle injury that forced him to miss four games since Jan. 21. Lampkin sustained the injury during an 83-60 win in Allen Fieldhouse, which was one of the best performances by any team this season and also, not coincidentally, the last time that he and Miles were both in the lineup prior to Saturday’s win. Between a six-game NCAA suspension to 6-4 senior guard Damion Baugh to start the season and various other injuries, Jamie Dixon has been forced to utilize 15 different starting lineups this season. The only school with more is Coppin State.
Now, TCU is finally back to full strength, which sets up a delectable matchup at home against Kansas. “We’ve been reinvented about six times this year,” Dixon told me. “Getting Mike back gave us a lot of confidence, but it’s also allowed everyone else to play the roles they were supposed to play. We’re good with our rotation now. Hopefully there won’t be any more changes.”
• When Notre Dame coach Mike Brey announced last month that he was stepping down at the end of the season, a lot of people mistakenly took that as a declaration to retire from coaching. In fact, Brey was careful not to use that word, both in his official statement and remarks at his press conference. Yet, when he repeated his intentions to Stadium’s Jeff Goodman last week, it caused a stir from people who assumed Brey was done. So I called Brey over the weekend and asked him to clarify.
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Short answer: He wants to coach again. He doesn’t care when (though he’d prefer next season) or at what level (though he’d prefer high-major Division I). His only condition is that it’s somewhere between the greater Washington D.C. area, where Brey grew up, and Florida, where his son and three grandchildren live. “It doesn’t have to be a Power 5 job,” Brey told me. “You know what’s really intriguing to me? What Jim Calhoun did (in taking at Division III Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, which did not previously have a men’s basketball program). I understand how the business has changed, but I love being around young people and having those interactions. I’m a teacher at heart, and I’d miss that if I wasn’t doing it.”
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• Finally, I was elated to hear the news that the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame elected to present its John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award to Tom Konchalski, the legendary high school talent scout who was instrumental in the growth of Five-Star Basketball Camp. Tom’s HSBI report was a must-have for college coaches for four decades, but more important, he was one of the kindest, most loving, and most respected figure the sport has ever known. Tom was also my dear friend — I dubbed him The Only Honest Man in the Gym — and all of basketball was saddened when he passed from cancer in early 2021. I know that all of Tom’s friends and colleagues share my joy that his life and legacy will be forever enshrined in Springfield.
Mid-major Top 10
1. Saint Mary’s (24-5). The Gaels are alone atop the WCC standings, but they likely won’t be able to clinch the regular season title unless they beat Gonzaga in Spokane on Saturday. Last rank on Jan. 23: 2
2. San Diego State (21-5). The Aztecs have a one-game lead in the Mountain West, but they have a challenging week coming up with games against Colorado State (home) and New Mexico (away). LR: 3
3. Oral Roberts (25-3). The Owls are one of two teams that are still undefeated in their conference (Eastern Washington is the other). They are once again powered by 6-0 senior guard Max Abmas, who ranks third in the nation in scoring at 22.5 points per game. LR: 10
4. Florida Atlantic (24-3). The Owls have lost twice since the last ranking, but they still only have three losses on the season and are No. 24 in the NET. LR: 4
5. Boise State (20-7). The Broncos are one game behind San Diego State in the Mountain West standings, setting up a titanic matchup against the Aztecs in Boise on Feb. 28. LR: 5
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6. Liberty (22-7). The Flames lost at Kennesaw State on Thursday to fall into a tie for first place in the Atlantic Sun, but they are still No. 48 in the NET and have a dynamic guard in 5-9 senior Darius McGhee, who ranks seventh nationally in scoring at 21.9 points per game. LR: NR
7. Kent State (22-5). The Golden Flashes are tied with Toledo for first place in the MAC. They have two tough road tests coming up at Ball State and Bowling Green. LR: 7
8. Nevada (20-7). The Wolf Pack are No. 31 in the NET, but they lost a tough one Saturday night, when they took a 37-16 lead at Utah State and ended up losing 75-66. LR: 9
9. VCU (20-7). The Rams are one game clear of Dayton atop the Atlantic 10 standings. They split their season series against the Flyers, with the road team winning both times. LR: 8
10. Charleston (26-3). The Cougars may have dropped out of the rankings following back-to-back losses to Hofstra and Drexel, but they still have a terrific record and are ranked No. 52 in the NET. LR: 6
Dropped out: New Mexico (1)
Ten games this week I’m psyched to see
Kansas at TCU, Monday, 9 p.m., ESPN. Kansas will be eager to avenge that 17-point drubbing in Allen Fieldhouse. TCU is finally back to full strength and prepared to defend its homecourt. Schollmaier Arena is going to be rocking for this one.
Baylor at Kansas State, Tuesday, 7 p.m., ESPN2. The Bears’ confidence has to be shaken by that second-half meltdown at Allen Fieldhouse. They shot 1 of 11 from 3 after intermission and allowed Kansas to convert 64 percent from the floor. The Wildcats got a nice bounceback win over Iowa State on Saturday after losing at Texas Tech and Oklahoma the previous two games. Kansas State beat Baylor in overtime in Waco on Jan. 7, largely because it held Baylor’s L.J. Cryer to a season-low four points.
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Marquette at Creighton, Tuesday, 8:30 p.m., FS1. It is remarkable that Marquette, which was picked to finish ninth in the Big East’s preseason coaches poll, is alone in first place with a 13-3 record. One of those wins came on Dec. 16 at home against Creighton, but the Bluejays were still without their center and rim protector, 7-1 junior center Ryan Kalkbrenner. This is their chance to show what they can do at full strength.
Tennessee at Texas A&M, Tuesday, 7 p.m., ESPN. There is no more up-and-down team than Tennessee, which followed its win over then-No. 1 Alabama by losing at Kentucky on Saturday, the second time this season the Vols have lost to the Wildcats. On the other hand, there are not many teams with greater momentum than the Aggies, who dominated Missouri on the road on Saturday to capture their fifth straight win and stay one game behind Alabama in the SEC standings.
Iowa State at Texas, Tuesday, 9 p.m., Longhorn Network. The Longhorns spotted Oklahoma a seven-point lead with 8:21 to play on Saturday, but as they have done so often this season, they erased the deficit and did just enough to win, 85-83, in overtime. Sir’Jabari Rice, the nation’s best sixth man, was outstanding once again with 24 points on 4 of 6 3-point shooting. It will be hard for the Cyclones to muster enough offense if Caleb Grill, who missed the loss at Kansas State with a bad back, isn’t fully healthy.
Indiana at Purdue, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Fox. These two played a classic on Feb. 4 in Bloomington, where Indiana emerged with a 79-74 win behind 25 points, seven rebounds and five blocks from Trayce Jackson-Davis. Zach Edey had 33 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks in the loss.
Saint Mary’s at Gonzaga, Saturday, 10 p.m., ESPN. The Zags had their 76-game home win streak snapped by Loyola Marymount on Jan. 19, and last week Thursday they returned the favor by outscoring the Lions 68-28 (not a typo) in the first half en route to a 108-65 win. Gonzaga will take the court with the same edge after having lost at Saint Mary’s in overtime on Feb. 4. A win here could also give the Zags a share of the WCC title.
Texas at Baylor, Saturday, 2 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2. This game will go a long way toward determining the Big 12 regular season title, and the winner will have a leg up in the chase for a No. 1 seed. Texas won the first meeting, 76-71, in Austin on Jan. 30, when Timmy Allen did a marvelous defensive job on Baylor freshman guard Keyonte George, who needed 18 shots to score his 17 points.
San Diego State at New Mexico, Saturday, 10 p.m., CBS Sports Network. New Mexico got a much-needed win on Friday night by winning at San Jose State, which ended a four-game losing streak and brought the Lobos back to .500 in the Mountain West. Their leading scorer, Jaelen House, returned from a two-game absence due to a hamstring injury to score seven points in 25 minutes New Mexico will need House’s A game because the Aztecs will be itching to avenge their 76-67 home loss to the Lobos on Jan. 14.
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Auburn at Kentucky, Saturday, 4 p.m., CBS. The Tigers are pretty safely in the NCAA Tournament as of now (our own Brian Bennett pegged them as a No. 7 seed last Friday), but their 67-65 loss at Vanderbilt was their sixth in the last eight games. They have just two Quad 1 wins, and while this is one of three Quad 1 opportunities remaining, the others, at Alabama and home against Tennessee, are no layups. Kentucky had a terrific week, winning at Mississippi State and then finishing a season sweep of Tennessee, which put the Wildcats firmly on the right side of the bubble.
(Top photo of Jalen Wilson: Ed Zurga / Getty Images)