- Last Season: 31-8, Lost in Final Four
- Notable Losses: Devonte’ Graham, Svi Mykhailiuk, Malik Newman
- Notable Additions: Quentin Grimes, Devon Dotson, Dedric Lawson (transfer), K.J. Lawson (transfer), David McCormack, Charlie Moore (transfer)
Entering this 2018-19 college basketball season, the Kansas Jayhawks and head coach Bill Self will be without their three leading scorers from last season as Devonte’ Graham, Svi Mykhailiuk and Malik Newman are no longer in Lawrence. With that, you might be led to believe that a team that has utilized some veteran players in recent years might be in a tough spot. However, they top the preseason rankings for a reason.
Despite the big losses, the Jayhawks still return two crucial pieces, one in the frontcourt and one in the backcourt. On the interior, big man Udoka Azubuike comes back after averaging 13 points and seven rebounds per game, hoping to further develop and be a two-way force in the middle. Joining him is LaGerald Vick, a solid scorer who thought about the NBA Draft, but ultimately came back to school.
Where Kansas is going to thrive, however, is with two new additions in stud freshman shooting guard Quentin Grimes and Memphis transfer Dedric Lawson. Grimes is primed to be a star for this team with the ability to fill up the cup in a variety of ways. Meanwhile, Lawson has already proven to be highly productive, averaging 19.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game before electing to transfer after the 2016-17 season.
This isn’t a perfect Kansas team by any stretch as they need a replacement for Graham to step up between freshman Devon Dotson and Cal transfer Charlie Moore at point guard. Even still, this is a deep and immensely talented roster that, until further notice, is the team to beat in the 2018-19 season.