It doesn't seem like it was that long ago when we were all watching UConn win the national championship last April, but the new college basketball season is somehow already here. It was the Huskies that were victorious last season, but this season, the favorite to win it all at the end of the year is Kansas basketball. The Jayhawks just signed head coach Bill Self to a new contract that makes him the highest paid coach in college basketball, and what better way to celebrate the new contract than winning another national championship. Self has already won two since becoming the Kansas head coach, and he is coming for a third.
The Kansas basketball team started their season on November 6th against NC Central and they played their second game the following Friday against Manhattan. The Jayhawks cruised in both of those games and won 99-56 and 99-61. It's obviously hard to tell how good a team is this early in the season, especially against opponents like those two, but Kansas looked impressive in those games and they took care of business exactly like they're supposed to. Those two matchups were some good warmups for the Jayhawks, but the schedule is about to become much more difficult, and we should start to get a good idea of just how good this team really is.
Kansas basketball is a participant in the Champions Classic every season, and that is again the case this year. The Jayhawks are joined by Duke, Kentucky and Michigan State at the United Center in Chicago, and there are two terrific matchups slated for Tuesday night. The action starts with Duke vs. Michigan State, and the evening will conclude with a matchup between Kansas and Kentucky. It's going to be a great night of college hoops, and we will also get to see this loaded Kansas basketball team in their first tough test of the season.
We haven't seen the Jayhawks tested yet as they are just two games into the season, but it looks like this team has all the tools to win a national championship. Kansas has the coaching as Bill Self has done a phenomenal job of making Kansas a contender every season. The Jayhawks also have a loaded roster that includes some key pieces from last year's squad, and an extremely important addition from the transfer portal as Hunter Dickinson joined the team in the offseason, coming from Michigan.
Picking up Hunter Dickinson in the transfer portal was huge for Kansas. Like it was previously mentioned, this team already has Bill Self leading the way and some key pieces from last year like Kevin McCullar Jr., K.J. Adams and Dajuan Harris Jr., but Kansas had all of that last year. Not that the Jayhawks weren't good last season, they were a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but Dickinson can bring them up a notch.
Dickinson is off to a great start this year as he dropped 18 and 21 in the Jayhawks' first two games. Dickinson is also expected to be a top contender for the Wooden Award when the season comes to a close. He has had three impressive seasons in his college basketball career, and this Jayhawks team will likely be the best team that he has been a part of. Their chances of winning it all certainly increased when they picked him up in the portal.
Kansas basketball is currently the favorite to win the national title, but there is a long season ahead of us. This team was one of the best in the country last year and they ended up losing in the round of 32. Anything is possible in college basketball, and it is sure to be another very exciting season.
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