Connect with us

Kansas

Kansas’s Self-Inflicted Damage and First-Round March Madness Exit Sinks Program to New Low

Published

on

Kansas’s Self-Inflicted Damage and First-Round March Madness Exit Sinks Program to New Low


PROVIDENCE—The Kansas Jayhawks had rallied from 10 points down to a three-point lead with a 2-3 zone and a barrage of missed Arkansas Razorbacks shots. The Hogs had scored two points in a span of seven-plus minutes. A little over three minutes remained, and a miserable Kansas season was close to getting a smidge brighter.

Then KJ Adams tried to take off downcourt with a defensive rebound and suddenly went down, turning the ball over in the process. It looked bad in the moment, and it is—an Achilles injury that coach Bill Self said postgame could cause Adams “to lose a year.” 

What followed that injury was a complete collapse in a winnable game against a No. 10 seed—echoing a home loss to the Houston Cougars and a blown 20-point lead to the Baylor Bears and a brutal loss to the Utah Utes. Without Adams, Kansas turned the ball over on its next four possessions with a flurry of careless passes. By the time the Jayhawks finally got up another shot (which missed), they had gone from three up to four down. Final score: Arkansas 79, Kansas 72.

“We did a lot of the damage ourselves,” Self said, a statement that was true Thursday night and for the season as a whole.

Advertisement

More. SI March Madness. Men’s and Women’s NCAA Tournament News, Features and Analysis. dark

It began with the No. 1 ranking and ended with a first-round punch-out. The 2024–25 Kansas season was the cautionary tale of a team that got what it paid for in the portal era—the wrong guys. The Jayhawks spent a ton of money for a mismatched, un-clutch, underachieving roster that flailed all season offensively and couldn’t finish games. Their 13 losses were the most for the program since 1982–83.

And truth be told, it continues a regression from elite status for the Jayhawks since winning the 2022 national title. They’re 2–3 in the NCAA tournament since then, and their Big 12 record the past two years is 21–17 in a league they dominated for decades. 

It’s almost like some of the advantages gained from years as Adidas’s favored program have worn off after the federal investigation of corruption in college basketball. Kansas was sanctioned in that scandal, though not as severely as some thought it might be. Turns out the real sanction might have been losing T.J. Gassnola and Jim Gatto as recruiting concierges.

This inglorious end forced Self to acknowledge what became increasingly clear as the season spiraled into the dumpster. “We’ve got to reevaluate how we do things,” he said.

Building the program around 7′ 2″ Michigan Wolverines transfer Hunter Dickinson for two seasons was a failed plan. Dickinson exits college as a stat compiler more than a big-time winner. The teams he played on went to the Elite Eight as a freshman, the Sweet 16 as a sophomore, the NIT as a junior, the NCAA second round as a fourth-year senior and the first round as a fifth-year senior. Declining returns on large investments.

Advertisement
Hunter Dickinson

Hunter Dickinson never led KU past the NCAA second round. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The addition of AJ Storr from the Wisconsin Badgers was a season-long fiasco that ended with him belatedly playing his best game against Arkansas, scoring 15 points. South Dakota State Jackrabbits transfer Zeke Mayo was inconsistent at best. Alabama Crimson Tide transfer Rylan Griffen was a non-factor who played much better last season for the Crimson Tide. 

Kansas’s two program mainstays, fifth-year point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. and fourth-year forward Adams, were role players who couldn’t carry a bigger load this season when needed. Yet in the final minutes of the season, the absence of Adams suddenly loomed large.

Add it all together and you have a bust of a team.

“You can’t afford [portal] misses, but I will say this … there’s an element of luck involved,” Self said. “I think now more than ever [it] was even before. You can go after the kids that you get a great bargain on. You get a good deal on it but it doesn’t matter unless they fit in and can help you win.

“We’ve got to do a better job of evaluating the portal but I’m happy with the roster we had. It just didn’t turn out to be the team that we had hoped it was.”

Advertisement

Next year’s team will be built around guard Darryn Peterson, the No. 1 or 2 player in the country depending which recruiting rankings you prefer. But he will be a freshman in a sport that skewed old years ago—Cooper Flaggs don’t come along every year. The Jayhawks will have to mine the portal heavily again this offseason, and they can’t afford to get it wrong.

In addition to the roster, Self probably needs to take a critical look at his staff. It’s not the freshest collection of guys, most of them having been in the program for ages. Staff continuity can be a good thing until it’s suddenly not, and this inflection point might be a time to shake things up on that front.

Self pointed out that, in a way, this Kansas team is a victim of the program’s historic success. Most of the nation would take 21 wins and an NCAA berth—but in Lawrence they’re accustomed to conference titles, high seeds and NCAA runs. The Jayhawks’ consistency has been the envy of the entire nation.

“No matter what you do in life, there’s going to be some ups and downs,” Self said. “And we just haven’t had very many downs, to be honest with you.”

The question now is what Kansas will do about this down year. The Jayhawks have to be smarter (and luckier) in the portal. They have to coach the players they bring in better. But first, they head home after their earliest tournament exit since 2006, and with their most losses in more than 40 years.

Advertisement

More March Madness on Sports Illustrated



Source link

Kansas

Woman seriously injured Tuesday in western Kansas crash

Published

on

Woman seriously injured Tuesday in western Kansas crash


OAKLKEY, Kan. (WIBW) – A woman suffered serious injuries in a single-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon in Thomas County in western Kansas, officials said.

The collision was reported at 2:15 p.m. Tuesday on K-25 highway just south of County Road D. The location was about 15 miles northwest of Oakley.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol’s online crash log, a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country minivan was northbound on K-25 when it left the roadway to the right — or east — side and overcorrected back onto the roadway.

A woman suffered serious injuries in a single-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon in Thomas County in western Kansas, officials said.(Source: MGN)

The vehicle then began sliding sideways into the east ditch, where it rolled once.

Advertisement

The minivan then came to rest upright facing southeast in a field.

The driver and lone occupant of the vehicle, Terri Threlkeld, 50, of Page City, was transported to Logan County Hospital in Oakley with serious injuries. The patrol said Threlkeld wasn’t wearing her seat belt.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Kansas

Where to watch Iowa State vs. Kansas today: College basketball free stream

Published

on

Where to watch Iowa State vs. Kansas today: College basketball free stream


If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.

The Kansas Jayhawks hosts No. 2 Iowa State Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. The Cyclones are 16-0 this season, but the Jayhawks won’t be an easy out at home, led by star freshman Darryn Peterson.

Iowa State vs. Kansas will air on ESPN, and streams live on DIRECTV (free trial).

What: Men’s college basketball regular season

Advertisement

Who: No. 2 Iowa Cyclones vs. Kansas Jayhawks

When: Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026

Where: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas

Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Advertisement

Live stream: DIRECTV (free trial), fuboTV (free trial)

Here’s a recent college basketball story via the Associated Press:

WACO, Texas (AP) — Emanuel Sharp scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures for No. 7 Houston, which overcame two extended shooting slumps before halftime in a 77-55 win at Baylor on Saturday. The Cougars set a school record with their 16th consecutive road win.

Joseph Tugler had 12 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double in a row for defending Big 12 champion and national runner-up Houston (15-1, 3-0 Big 12). Isiah Harwell also had 12 points, while true freshmen Chris Cenac had 11 and Kingston Flemings 10.

The Cougars haven’t lost a true road game since at No. 8 Kansas on Feb. 3, 2024. That road winning streak is the longest active run in the country, with all of them Big 12 games for a league record.

Advertisement

Cameron Carr had 18 points for Baylor (10-5, 0-3), and Tounde Yessoufou had 10.

Houston missed 10 shots in a row over a 5 1/2-minute span early, then had another 0-for-10 span in the final 6 1/2 minutes of the first half. But the Cougars took control of the game with a 23-3 run in the six minutes between those droughts.

Sharp and Harwell both had two 3-pointers in that big spurt. The Cougars trailed 14-6 before Sharp ignited that run, and a 3 by Harwell put them ahead to stay. The lead was 29-17 after Tugler’s dunk off a Baylor turnover with 6:34 left. That was their last field goal of the half, when they still led 33-26 before a 13-3 run to start the second half.

The Cougars shot 39.2% overall (29 of 74) from the field, with only five turnovers and 23 offensive rebounds. They scored 31 points off 16 turnovers by Baylor, which got 33 fewer shots.

Up next

Advertisement

Houston: Home Tuesday against West Virginia.

Baylor: At Oklahoma State on Tuesday.

Can I bet on the game?

Yes, you can bet on the game from your phone in New York State, and we’ve compiled some of the best introductory offers to help navigate your first bets from BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, Bet365 and more.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Kansas

Kansas Bird Flu Tops Nation

Published

on

Kansas Bird Flu Tops Nation


Kansas is suffering from the worst outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the country, with nearly 414,000 birds affected, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

HPAI, an umbrella term for avian influenza that includes highly contagious strains such as H5 and H7, is considered a low public health risk, although it can pass to humans through birds and dairy products from infected cattle, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows with sporadic human cases in U.S. dairy and poultry workers,” according to CDC.

As of Friday, there are four affected commercial flocks and six affected backyard flocks reported in Kansas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Avian influenza kills almost 100% of the birds it infects.

Advertisement

The bulk of the infected birds, about 380,000, in Kansas were reported to be in a commercial operation in Pottawatomie County, USDA reports said.

In a map highlighting outbreaks across the nation, Kansas is the only state showing the most severe reports during the past 30 days. It is followed by Indiana, with about 87,000 birds affected, including two commercial flocks and five backyard flocks.

Kansas has not had a reported instance of avian bird flu in a human, according to CDC records. Since 2024, there have been 74 reported bird flu cases in humans and two deaths.

This year’s outbreak is similar to those during the last few years, said a spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

“December and January have been the months when we have seen the highest number of positive cases since this outbreak began in 2022,” said Heather Lansdowne. “The winter of 2023-2024 was more active than this year, both in total cases and in number of birds affected. We are hoping this year follows the trajectory of those years and we begin to see a decline in cases moving forward.”

Advertisement

This year’s outbreak has spread primarily from migrating wild waterfowl, she said. The agency has encouraged poultry farmers and others to protect their birds from contact with migratory birds and their habitats.

“We have been promoting these actions to poultry owners from the start of the outbreak, both in public information and directly through veterinarians, extension agents, 4-H and FFA programs, to poultry owners we have through our systems, etc.,” Lansdowne said.

When the state discovers birds positive for avian flu, they work directly with the business owner to develop a response plan that includes a quarantine and long-term recovery plan, she said.

_ _ _

Story via Kansas Reflector 

Advertisement

 

 

 

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending