Welcome to the spotlight Hunter Dickinson. The Kansas basketball superstar thrust his name into the National Player of the Year conversation following a signature 27-point, 21-rebound game against Kentucky, an 89-84 win for the No. 1 ranked Jayhawks.

Dickinson is off to a monster start with Kansas, averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds per game across three games. Bill Self said he is one of the best scoring big men he's ever seen and an inspiring player for the team.

“He catches some crap,” Self said, via Myron Medcalf. “Sometimes with good reason and many times not. He catches some crap, but one thing he does, he doesn't run from it. Ever. So I think guys like that give teams confidence.”

Dickinson led a ferocious Kansas comeback in the second half. The Jayhawks were down 14 points early in the half but steamrolled their way through the rest of the game, ending on a 45-26 run to close out the victory.

Kansas basketball passed their first true test as the No. 1 team in the country after wins by 43 and 38 points against North Carolina Central and Manhattan. They'll have a few more cupcakes before another primetime battle against the defending champion UConn Huskies on December 1.

If both teams handle business before that game tips off, it will be a top-five encounter for the ages. Another win for the Jayhawks in that one would put them at or near the top of the national championship discussion if they weren’t already.

Hunter Dickinson is the real deal and could be named the nation's top player at season's end. Kansas basketball is a force to be reckoned with and may be on its way to another Final Four with Bill Self at the helm.