Post-Season Analysis

The Kansas Jayhawks ended their season with a late collapse against the Arkansas Razorbacks in a scene that was all too familiar to Kansas fans. This time, a late injury to KJ Adams immediately led to a loss of composure as Arkansas took the lead back and held on to advance to the second round.

On the latest Rock Chalk Podcast, Andy and Kyle broke down the game, plus the injury to Adams and what fans can expect to see in the upcoming months as Bill Self and his staff get ready to retool for next year.

On Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s09e31-the-same-old-issues/id1294906568?i=1000701374495

On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/26IRsh6GXjnh0BDeQLbkvX?si=e2dc99dfb1d54c0d

Or find it on your favorite podcast app!

Addressing Kansas' Offseason/Portal Needs

What should KU be prioritizing to rebuild for next year?

Kyle Davis, Deputy Editor

The transfer portal is open and already flooding with players. No one from Kansas has entered yet, though it’s no doubt coming. (Editor’s Note: Flory Bidunga reportedly intends to enter the transfer portal since this was written.) There will be spots to fill and no shortage of possibilities in which to fill them. In the meantime, two straight years of unmet expectations and hits and misses in the portal have led fans to put on their GM caps and speculate on roster construction and strategy.

Let’s dive into some of the options in terms of approach and strategy, while looking at what might have gone wrong in the past.

The Biggest Need

What is priority No. 1 that Kansas needs to fix to get back on track? The question led me to posing one on X to get a (small sample size) pulse of the fanbase:

Shooting

It didn’t surprise me that shooting came in second, but it shouldn’t be because that was necessarily missing this year. Something I noticed would actually point against that. KU shot 35.4% from three this season. That’s actually the second-highest mark for the Jayhawks since 2018 when Kansas shot 40%. The only higher percentage for Kansas in the last seven years was the national championship year, when KU shot 36.1%. The great 2020 team robbed of a postseason shot 34.1%. The two-point percentage was on par with teams of the past seven seasons, too.

The best shooter (Zeke Mayo) is gone and the second from a percentage standpoint (Diggy Coit) could be gone. Rylan Griffen could follow. So some replacement will be needed. But that wasn’t the biggest cause of KU’s downfall in 2024-25.

Playmaking

Shooting numbers were fine, rather it was the ability for players outside of Mayo to generate those shots for themselves. Which is why if I had to pick, playmaking would be my top choice for biggest need as well. Few Jayhawks could create off the dribble and finish on their own. Dickinson could make things happen from the post, but had to rely on entry passes from his guards that were not always on point as you didn’t want him putting the ball on the floor.

Kansas ranked 16th this year in assists per field goals made, which is great. But also showcased a weakness. The two other best marks were the two previous years, when KU struggled (relative to past success) offensively. Just look at that A/FGM national ranking in ’22 (105th), ’20 (197th), ’18 (85th), ’17 (122nd), and ’16 (113). Those teams also had guys like Jalen Wilson, Devon Dotson, Ochai Agbaji, Josh Jackson, and Devonte’ Graham who could make something happen themselves. This team didn’t have that.

Darryn Peterson is a natural playmaker, but the weight can’t all be on his shoulders.

Athleticism/Size

Size wasn’t necessarily Kansas’ problem, either. The Jayhawks were 75th in average height this year. Out of the seven one and two seeds remaining in the Sweet 16, only three were taller than Kansas and just two of seven were in the top 50 nationally.

Athleticism was also a different story this year. KJ Adams was a freak athlete and Flory Bidunga looks well on his way to being one as well, but that was about it. Athleticism and skill are different qualities. Hunter Dickinson, Dajuan Harris, and Rylan Griffen are incredibly skilled, but are not the type of athletes that can just overpower opponents physically.

More is coming, though. Elmarko Jackson is getting healthy and Peterson looks to have plenty of athleticism himself. Flory is also an upgrade purely based on athleticism at the 5 spot. But KU still could use more.

Other (Intangibles)

I got a couple of responses to those in the Other category, and one was “Systematic roles,” which is understandable and makes sense. Part of what I am interpreting with systematic role is also the mindset. Are there guys who will go out focused and giving it their all no matter what is asked of them? Mental fortitude is hard to scout, but it’s critical.

The other quality I’d lump in is cognition. Teams with less pure athleticism and talent can when by being more cerebral. And yet Kansas failed to execute and made too many mental mistakes time and time again. Whether it was not having a feeling of where to be or where the play was going or not being able to read teammates, this was the most frustrating and concerning aspect of watching this group. Don’t go all in on athleticism and playmaking without incorporating high basketball IQ.