College basketball's preseason No. 1: 5 teams stake their claim

College basketball’s preseason No. 1: 5 teams stake their claim

By Chris Stone | Aug 15, 2017

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 16: Allonzo Trier #35 of the Arizona Wildcats dunks the ball against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 16, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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MANHATTAN, KS – FEBRUARY 20: Guard Devonte Graham #4 of the Kansas Jayhawks shoots the ball over guard Barry Brown #5 of the Kansas State Wildcats during the first half on February 20, 2016 at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas. Kansas defeated Kansas State 72-63. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

3. Kansas Jayhawks

At this stage, the Jayhawks probably have more questions than they do answers, but if college basketball really is all about guard play, then Kansas has an interesting argument for being the preseason No. 1 team.

Senior point guard Devonte’ Graham will give the Jayhawks a solid rock in the backcourt after his decision to return for one last season in Lawrence bolstered the Final Four hopes of the program. In 2016-17, Graham averaged 15.2 points, 4.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds per 40 minutes and now without last year’s National Player of the Year Frank Mason alongside him, he’ll be expected to handle more of the ball-handling duties.

Replacing Mason will be Malik Newman, a former top 10 recruit who spent one season at Mississippi State before transferring. He averaged 16.4 points per 40 minutes during that campaign, but struggled to efficiently find buckets. Kansas will need Newman to live up to his high school reputation as a devastating scorer in order to fulfill their aspirations.

Graham and Newman should play well off of one another, though. During the team’s recent trip to Italy, the former dished out 13.6 assists per 40 minutes while the latter averaged 32.5 points per 40 minutes. If Graham can continue to facilitate the offense while Newman picks up Mason’s scoring load, Kansas should have a well balanced backcourt that can match anyone in the country.

Elsewhere on the floor, the Jayhawks will need senior Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, junior Lagerald Vick and Arizona State transfer Sam Cunliffe to step up on the wing in the absence of Josh Jackson, the No. 4 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Sophomore center Udoka Azubuike and freshman Billy Preston will handle most of the duties in the frontcourt for a roster that is thin on big men.

Still, head coach Bill Self — well known for his preference for playing inside-out — will be reliant on his perimeter players to carry the offense. That all starts with Graham and Newman living up to their full potential.