NCAA basketball power rankings: Way-too-early Top 10 for 2022-2023
3. 2022-23 NCAA Power Rankings – Kansas Jayhawks
Most people didn’t see the Jayhawks’ national championship run coming but Bill Self’s team completed a historic comeback in the title game to secure their first national championship since 2008. There will be a significant exodus from Lawrence but head coach Bill Self still has enough talent coming in to ensure a shot at becoming the first team to repeat as national champions since the 2007-08 Florida Gators.
The key to those repeat hopes rests on the decision of guard Christian Braun, who made a ton of big shots for Kansas throughout the NCAA Tournament. Braun is projected to be an early second-round pick in the NBA Draft, leaving the door open that he could opt to return for one more season to try and push his draft stock into sure-fire first-round status.
The key returners for the Jayhawks are guard Dajuan Harris and forward Jalen Wilson, who could help mentor an incoming crop of young players. Role players such as Joseph Yesufu, who had a key block in the first half of Kansas’ Elite Eight win over Miami, and Bobby Pettiford are also poised to assume larger roles in the rotation next season.
The reason that Kansas is in such excellent shape is due to their star-studded recruiting class, which has three five-star recruits and a four-star recruit who should all contribute right away. The headliner is McDonald’s All-American Gradey Dick, a wing who offers immense potential to be a star scorer in the mold of past Jayhawks stars like Andrew Wiggins and Ben McLemore.