Kansas basketball: 5 questions the Kansas Jayhawks must answer in 2020

1. Kansas basketball questions: Will they get hammered by the NCAA?

The big dark cloud hanging over the Kansas basketball program in 2020 is the status of the school’s potential rules violations with the NCAA. Kansas is staring at potential Level I rules violations as a result of findings from an FBI probe linked to illegal payments for recruits.

The NCAA has taken a long time to decide what to do here and it is likely the coronavirus pandemic has pushed some of the conversations to the backburner. Kansas basketball already did have one issue to deal with last season as forward Silvio De Sousa had to sit out for a chunk of the season while his eligibility was sorted out.

There are signs the NCAA is moving closer to a ruling, however, as evidenced by their recent one-year postseason ban for Kansas’ Big 12 rival Oklahoma State. The Cowboys accepted the sanctions without appeal, but they are expected to put up more of a fight.

The worst-case scenario could be a show-cause penalty leveled at Bill Self, which could end his Kansas basketball career, but it is unclear how far the NCAA will go here to send a message. At the moment, all they can do is prepare as if it will be business as usual for the 2020 season.

The whole situation is hanging over the program like an anvil waiting to drop on the heads of the Jayhawks. Getting some resolution to the violations from the probe and how they will impact they Jayhawks in 2020 remains the biggest question they will have to solve this season.

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