Kansas Jayhawks Q&A: On KU’s rising Big 12 championship odds, Johnny Furphy and more
As the No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) head down to Austin for Saturday’s game at No. 3 Texas (4-0, 1-0), let’s take a closer look at some updated odds to win the Big 12 championship.
Odds (via Caesars):
Texas -140
Oklahoma +240
Kansas State +650
Kansas +1800
TCU +2000
UCF +3500
West Virginia +4500
Texas Tech +7000
Iowa State +9000
BYU +10000
Cincinnati +10000
Oklahoma State +10000
Baylor +15000
Houston +20000
In May, the Jayhawks were ranked No. 10 in the conference with +4000 odds to win the Big 12. KU has undoubtedly come a long way for two reasons — Kansas’ has looked better than most people expected early on and the conference is weaker than anticipated.
Remember, Big 12 media ranked the Jayhawks as the No. 8 team in the Big 12 — a firmly middle-of-the-pack team.
Will the Jayhawks win the Big 12? I’d say it’s a long shot. Still, a top-three finish and 9-10 wins are in play.
With that, it’s time for another Kansas Jayhawks Q&A. As always, thank you for the questions!
The more dunks a team has, the better it is for three reasons. First, getting dunks constantly tells me that the team is manufacturing easy offensive looks consistently.
Second, if a team’s shooting goes cold, it is much less likely to lose a matchup if it can at least throw down some jams. It means the offense isn’t solely reliant on perimeter shooting.
Finally, good teams tend to run the fast break a lot, leading to dunk opportunities that can demoralize an opponent and shift the game’s momentum.
I didn’t expect KU’s defensive line to be as good as it has been this season. I thought the Jayhawks would struggle to create pressure on the QB, but it hasn’t been an issue between the transfers KU has brought in and the internal improvement from certain players.
The leap cornerback Cobee Bryant has taken has impressed me a lot. He’s not gambling much on plays and has locked down opposing receivers when the balls’ been thrown his way.
I don’t have anything that’s negatively surprised me, but I think Jalon Daniels has another level in his play.
I’m very high on his ability and I think he can play in the NFL, but he hasn’t had to show his full repertoire in certain games because of the game script and/or matchups. I’m looking forward to games in which Daniels takes over and makes his presence felt, such as the Liberty Bowl last season or the Illinois game this season.
KJ Adams seems like a future NBA player. I’m sure the staff is prepared for the possibility as well. That being said, I have a slight concern about Adams not getting the chance to showcase himself enough this season.
Adams won’t likely have the same offensive role as he had last season, so who knows if he’ll get to showcase the jump shot he’s worked on (or his overall game). That could influence whether he gets drafted or returns for another year.
From what my beat partner Gary Bedore has heard, it seems like he’s acclimated quite well with the Jayhawks on the court.
The Kansas coaching staff has raved about him and head coach Bill Self didn’t rule out the possibility of him being a one-and-done player.
