Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Are we overlooking Kansas this preseason?

Bill Self

Kansas head coach Bill Self during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas Tech in Lawrence, Kan., Monday, March 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

AP

Unless you write for Lindy’s, the general consensus seems to be that Kentucky should be the nation’s No. 1 team in the preseason.

And that’s fair, considering the fact that they are bringing in one of the best recruiting classes of all-time, they have eight guys that could one day be picked in the first round of the NBA Draft and they have a coach that has excelled at convincing teams with an overload of talent to buy into their roles.

Lindy’s had Michigan State ranked No. 1, a team that seems to join with Louisville to complete a consensus top three.

Arizona has gotten plenty of preseason hype as well, in large part due to landing Aaron Gordon, and with Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood joining Rasheed Sulaimon, Duke has been crowned as the favorite in the ACC, the best league in the land.

It may just be me, but it seems like one of the nation’s best programs has been overlooked throughout much of the summer: the Kansas Jayhawks.

Now, when calling Kansas overlooked, we have to keep it in perspective. But the fact of the matter is that, given the talent on their roster and the head coach they have stalking the sidelines, doesn’t it make sense that the Jayhawks be in the conversation with Kentucky, Michigan State and Louisville as a title favorite?

Think about it like this: the guy that everyone expects to be the best player in the country and the No. 1 overall pick, Andrew Wiggins, is a Jayhawk. There are quite a few people that expect him to have the impact that Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant did in their one season on campus, and I count myself among them.

But he’s not alone. In Draft Express’ latest 2014 mock draft, Kansas is projected to have two of the top six picks (Joel Embiid) and three of the top 14 picks (Wayne Selden), which is more than anyone else in the country.

Yes, Kansas does have question marks. The point guard spot could end up being an issue all season long, and youth isn’t guaranteed to be good immediately at the college level. Perry Ellis’ development will be critical as well, and it will be interesting to see just how good the Jayhawks end up being from a defensive standpoint.

But while everyone has spent the summer lauding Kentucky’s recruiting class, it seems like the talent that Bill Self has amassed has managed to somehow slide a bit under the radar.

Follow @robdauster