Kansas sophomore KJ Adams was asked before the Big 12 tournament what he learned about making the transition to the postseason with last year that could help the Jayhawks this time around.
His answer had everything to do with the 2021-22 national title team’s mental approach.
“Everybody from last year had a different mindset that a lot of teams didn’t have,” Adams said. “They were really focused and really on to the next thing.”
Adams was a part of that “they.” As were five other members of the current team. And the Jayhawks are hoping that their understanding of how to flip the switch to do-or-die mode will help them as they try to deliver another memorable postseason run.
After a 31-game regular season and the wild and crazy Big 12 tournament, the stage is set for the Kansas Jayhawks to truly try to defend their national title.
KU junior Jalen Wilson, who was recently named the Big 12 player of the year and a first team All-American, said he was confident that this team, newcomers and veterans alike, would enter the tournament with a strong understanding of what is required.
“We’ll all have our conversations,” Wilson said. “But just putting that out there, saying the season now starts. It’s all good winning the Big 12 and doing these big things, but now the expectations are high. No one’s going to give us a pat on the back for losing. Once you win the conference, you’re expected to do big things.”
Understanding and embracing that is one reason the 2022-23 Jayhawks can win it all again this time around. Here are four others that figure to give Kansas a legitimate shot at repeating as national champs.
• The Jayhawks are battle tested – According to KenPom.com, Bill Self’s squad played the toughest schedule in the country this season. That’s nothing new, of course, but it certainly means even more this year, given how tough the Big 12 Conference was. KenPom’s strength of schedule rankings had Big 12 teams in seven of the top eight spots. Beyond that, six teams from the conference were ranked in the national polls for much of the season and eight of the 10 were ranked at one point. All 10 teams at least received votes in the polls. That’s part of the Jayhawks being battle tested. They also played more than 20 Quad 1 games and 13 games against teams ranked in the latest AP poll, with wins over Duke, Kentucky and Indiana standing out in the non-conference slate. Whether you’re talking hostile environments, tough matches or hot teams, there’s not much these Jayhawks haven’t seen.
• Championship swagger – There may not be much left from last year’s national title team, but the pieces that remain are pretty important. In Wilson, Self and point guard Dajuan Harris Jr., the Jayhawks have three people on the roster that ooze confidence and hold the rest of the team to incredibly high standards. It’s been that way since the start of the offseason, with Wilson and Harris saying early last spring that their goal for the 2022-23 season was to collect some more hardware. Those two, along with Adams to some degree, have been a part of some massive games during the past few seasons. And no one in college basketball has coached in more big games or won more than Bill Self.
• The pressure’s off – There was talk, late in the season after Kansas wrapped up the Big 12 regular season crown, about the Jayhawks loosening their grip and having a little more fun on the floor while playing free and with joy. That’s what worked for last season’s team and there’s no reason to think it can’t happen for this bunch, too. After all, last year’s team was still chasing KU’s first national title in 14 years. This year’s group is still hearing about that win and benefiting from it along the way. As a 1 seed, there’s always pressure to make a deep run. But in terms of the pressure of feeling like they need to win one to return Kansas to the top of the college basketball world, that’s not there as much. This program is widely regarded as the best in the game currently, and they have the stats, the wins and the rings to show it.
• The Bill Self factor – Not only is he a two-time national champion with four trips to the Final Four and all kinds of NCAA Tournament and regular season success under his belt, but he’s also an added bit of motivation and inspiration for his players right now, given his expected return to the bench after missing the Big 12 tournament because of a heart issue. These players love Self and they love going to battle to represent him and the program well. I’d expect their desire to do that to be 10 times what it normally is after the recent health scare. That might not lead directly to any points or steals, but at a time of the season when even the smallest edge can make a big difference, this could be significant.
• Selection Sunday notebook: McCullar improving, 7 Big 12 teams get in
• 2023 NCAA Tournament Preview: First glance at No. 16 seed Howard, KU’s first-round opponent
• Kansas coach Bill Self released from hospital, ready to join Jayhawks for NCAA Tournament
• 2023 NCAA Tournament seed list, 1 through 68
• 2023 NCAA Tournament Preview: 5 reasons KU can repeat as national champs
• 2023 NCAA Tournament Preview: 8 teams not named Kansas that can win it all this season
• A look back at KU’s NCAA-record 33 consecutive years (and counting) in the Big Dance
