College basketball 2017-18 preseason Top 25

By Chris Stone | Nov 8, 2017

BARCELONA, SPAIN - AUGUST 16: Allonzo Trier #35 of the Arizona Wildcats dribbles Sigu #1 of the Mataro All-Stars during the Arizona In Espana Foreign Tour game between Mataro All-Stars and Arizona on August 16, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) /

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LAWRENCE, KS – FEBRUARY 13: Devonte’ Graham #4 of the Kansas Jayhawks celebrates after making a three-pointer late in the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Allen Fieldhouse on February 13, 2017 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks

Notable departures: Carlton Bragg, Dwight Coleby, Josh Jackson, Landen Lucas, Frank Mason
Notable returnees: Udoka Azubuike, Devonte’ Graham, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Lagerald Vick
Notable newcomers: Sam Cunliffe (eligible in December), Marcus Garrett, Malik Newman, Billy Preston

Kansas will enter the 2017-18 season as the favorite to win a 14th straight Big 12 title and with dreams of making the program’s first Final Four since 2012. Head coach Bill Self will lead the charge with a unique roster made up of returning NBA prospects, talented freshmen and high major transfers.

A significant amount of the Jayhawks’ success this season will rest on Mississippi State transfer Malik Newman as the team looks to replace the void left by former National Player of the Year Frank Mason. The 6-foot-3 guard is a former top 10 recruit who struggled to find his way with the Bulldogs during the 2014-15 campaign. However, he’s shown flashes this summer of the talent that made him such a coveted prospect coming out of high school. During the team’s trip to Italy in August, Newman averaged 32.5 points per 40 minutes while shooting nearly 60.0 percent from the field. Although those numbers are unlikely to translate against Division I competition, they’re a promising indicator of how far he’s come.

Newman will benefit from the return of point guard Devonte’ Graham alongside him in the backcourt. As a junior, Graham averaged 15.2 points, 4.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds per 40 minutes. This season, though, he’ll be expected to take on a larger offensive role as a facilitator and leader. The distribution of duties between Graham and Newman in Italy was clear shining light on how the backcourt may operate this season. The former dedicated his time to running the offense and setting up teammates while the latter played the role of a pure scorer.

For the second straight season, Kansas will have a thin frontcourt with only three big men on the roster meaning that the performance of Graham and Newman will likely determine if the Jayhawks can win that 14th straight Big 12 title and make a deep run in March.

Read our full Kansas preview here.