College Basketball

Kansas Jayhawks have work to do following losses to title team

Updated Aug. 11, 2022 4:26 p.m. ET

By John Fanta
FOX Sports College Basketball Writer

Let’s check in on the defending national champions.

While Kansas will have a different look from the team we saw cut down the nets in New Orleans this past April, there’s still plenty to like about the Jayhawks.

Who’s gone?

NBA first-round draft picks Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun, star center David McCormack, one of the heroes of the national title game victory in Remy Martin and both Mitch Lightfoot and Jalen Coleman-Lands. In total, that’s six of the Jayhawks’ top eight shot-takers from last season.

Who headlines the returnees?

The Jayhawks have a pair of starters in Jalen Wilson — who decided to return to Lawrence for a fourth season after testing the draft waters — and point guard Dajuan Harris.

How good the Jayhawks will be coming off the program’s first national title since 2008 will be heavily dependent on what their top-five recruiting class brings to the fold, in addition to the other returnees in the supporting cast making progress.

Kansas made one of the biggest splashes of the transfer portal by reeling in Texas Tech's Kevin McCullar, who is more than familiar with the Big 12. The 6-foot-6 wing averaged 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists this past season, including a 17-point performance in the Sweet 16 game against Duke.

The addition of McCullar is an example of perhaps the best quality of this Kansas roster: versatility. While the Jayhawks do not have a clear-cut option at the center position, they are loaded with key weapons who possess the length and athleticism to create some matchup issues for opponents.

The Jayhawks usher in the nation’s fourth-best recruiting class this season, highlighted by another well-rounded prospect in five-star talent Gradey Dick. One could expect the 6-foot-8 wing from Wichita to start from the jump, and he should be able to fill a key perimeter need for Kansas. Dick is one of three McDonald’s All-Americans entering the program, with 6-foot-5 wing MJ Rice and 6-foot-10 center Ernest Udeh also in Lawrence for the upcoming season.

Rice is a 225-pound guard who has a smooth offensive game and can attack above the rim. It’s not out of the question that he could play a starting role for the Jayhawks at some point.

As for Udeh, he will be in the competition for that starting-five slot, and while being a big man means development can take more time in college basketball, he should get opportunities to impact a team that said farewell to McCormack.

So back to that question: Who will be the Jayhawks’ center?

The leader in the clubhouse would have to be rising sophomore Zach Clemence, who watched much of last season from the bench while developing his game and learning the ropes from McCormack & Co. The former four-star recruit from San Antonio appeared in 24 games last season, and rumblings around Lawrence suggest that he has been groomed to take the center role and run with it. Being a returnee and knowing Self’s system should help Clemence’s case as well, while Udeh and another four-star freshman, Zuby Eljofor, will be competing for minutes too. Senior Cam Martin, a former Division II All-American at Missouri Southern State who redshirted last season, could also crack the Kansas rotation.

Elsewhere in the backcourt, Bobby Pettiford has breakout potential heading into his second year with the program. The former four-star recruit showed some flashes last season but played in only 14 games before an abdominal injury ended his campaign. Even though he’s just 6-foot-1, Pettiford possesses some real toughness for someone his size, and he has excellent speed as well.

Junior Joseph Yesufu is a weapon who will need to take on an increased role this season. The Drake transfer, who made headlines during the 2021 NCAA Tournament, when he combined for 47 points in two games, was really a nonfactor for the Jayhawks last season, averaging 2.1 points per contest. That must change for KU to be successful, and if Yesufu’s confident 30-point performance at the Jayhawks' camp scrimmage earlier this summer is any indication, it will.

Another player who is setting his sights on making a leap is 6-foot-7 forward KJ Adams Jr., who played a limited role last year but is more than capable defensively. The key for him will be his perimeter game evolving, but it’s clear he will get an opportunity to contribute more with what Kansas has lost.

It will be interesting to see how Self manages the minutes. He has typically leaned in the direction of experienced players more than true freshmen, but there’s a case to be made for Dick and Rice.

Kansas might have some things to figure out, but the Jayhawks should be a preseason top-10 team and will compete at the top of a loaded Big 12, which could be the best league in America, as Baylor, TCU and Texas could all be among the nation’s best.

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.