Kansas Jayhawks Q&A: Looking at KU’s NCAA Tournament seeding projection & AJ Storr
The Kansas men’s basketball team ends its regular season Saturday vs. Arizona.
Let’s look closer at the Jayhawks’ outlook for the NCAA Tournament.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has KU as a No. 8 seed in the South, set to play New Mexico.
CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm projects KU as the No. 7 seed in the South, facing off against Georgia. (As a University of Georgia graduate, I’d love to see that matchup.)
I’d also like the record to state — as I did on Rock Chalk Sports Talk on Thursday afternoon — that I am an objective journalist who isn’t rooting for Georgia.
If the two teams play, I hope it’s a good game that leads to some good stories.
Finally, USA Today has Kansas as the No. 8 seed in the East, playing Vanderbilt.
No matter where Kansas lands seeding-wise, KU players like KJ Adams aren’t paying much attention right now.
“We are going to fall wherever we are going to fall,” Adams said. “Whether it’s a high or low seed, whatever — we are going to end up playing those high (seed) guys no matter what. We are just ready for it and everybody is pretty eager to (prove) everybody wrong.”
With that, it’s time for another Kansas mailbag. Thanks, as always, for the questions!
Is there a game this season for #kubball that if you change the result of the season changes? Or are there too many issues to say one game changed everything? – @ben_h_hooke
I don’t think there’s one game that changes the outcome of the regular season for the Jayhawks.
The only game that might be the exception was the Houston game, which Kansas lost in double overtime at home. If Kansas had won that game, it would have built on it and had a couple more wins in conference play. The Jayhawks blew a six-point lead at the end of regulation, and again at the end of overtime.
Still, that doesn’t change too much.
These Jayhawks are still a flawed team. Kansas has had the same issues since November, and that starts with the roster construction. The transfers have underachieved. The offense isn’t very good.
For better or worse, this Kansas team is what it is — an inconsistent squad that has gone 12-11 since the start of December.
What is most concerning, our putrid offensive rebounding, abundance of silly turnovers, or disastrous end of game play? I’m thinking the last one, but all three have been awful. @derekho23
Is it possible to say all of the above?
If I had to choose, it would be the last one. I don’t understand how the team with the most Division I experience in the nation makes mind-boggling mistakes in clutch time.
It’s so unlike teams under Bill Self to struggle this much in late-game execution. And unlike the turnovers and rebounding, that’s an issue that’s lasted the entire season for Kansas.
Updates on all our injured/recovering players. Nothing was said about Diggy’s hand during the game. Jamari in a boot. Elmarko, Zach, Shak…….anyone that might be hurt. Thanks @FLRCJH
Shakeel Moore is out for the foreseeable future. According to Self, he hasn’t practiced in three weeks.
Elmarko Jackson’s recovery continues to progress and he’s got significantly stronger. Meanwhile, Jamari McDowell twisted his ankle, so he’s in a boot. Kansas forward Zach Clemence continues to recover from his groin injury.
How in the world did Storr average 17 a game in the Big Ten? He’s virtually unplayable with KU. @GaryWiley2
I think it’s important to remember a couple of things about Storr. First, his role was completely different in Wisconsin. He was asked to be the first or second option on a team that lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed.
He plays an entirely different role here — he’s expected to provide the Jayhawks with offense and play a complementary style of basketball alongside KU’s stars. He doesn’t have a long leash. If he makes a defensive mistake, Self is quick to pull him.
On the offensive end, he sometimes plays tentatively because he seems afraid to make a mistake. When he does get the ball — he takes questionable shots because it’s clear he’s trying to make the most of his minutes.
To me, it’s clear that Storr has struggled to fit into his role. In November, I asked him about the biggest adjustment from last season. He said the biggest adjustment was learning how to contribute to winning each night and playing the game the right way.
I appreciated his candor, but that answer rang alarm bells in my head. It showed that the transition wasn’t going to be as smooth as anyone hoped. Let’s see if he can turn into another Kansas folk hero a la Remy Martin come NCAA Tournament time.
Did you remember that Dajuan and Caleb Love not only faced each other in the national championship game but also in the Missouri state high school championship? @cynwendt
I did, for the first part, though Kansas won the national championship the season before I joined the beat.
I had no idea they played each other in the Missouri HS championship until Harris mentioned it on Thursday. Pretty cool! I’m looking forward to watching the two face off again on Saturday.
