The Kansas Jayhawks won the Big 12 championship and will be making their 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, more than any other team in the nation. Here are five things to know about the Jayhawks:
1. They’ve won nine straight Big 12 titles. Kansas dominates that league like no other. The Jayhawks have also won nine of the 17 Big 12 tournaments that have been played, including six of the past eight. They dominate the Big 12 like
2. Their numbers are great across the board. Kansas leads the nation in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 36% shooting from the floor. They also rank 1st in the nation in rebounding (39.1 per game), and 14th in field goal percentage (48%).
3. They had one bad week. Aside from three straight losses in early February, including an inexcusable loss at TCU, Kansas has been a juggernaut this season. The ‘Hawks went 0-3 from February 2-9. They went 29-2 the rest of the way.
4. Freshman Ben McLemore could be the top pick in the draft. McLemore averages 16.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and he is an athletic freak with a long wingspan and tremendous leaping ability. He’s not the best player in college basketball this season, but he does have the most potential.
5. Elijah Johnson is the leader of this team. The senior point guard came on strong in the NCAA Tournament last season and was one of the main reasons why the Jayhawks advanced to the national championship game. He can go off at any time, as evidenced by the 39 points he had in an overtime win at Iowa State. If he decides to take over in the NCAAs, Kansas could cut the nets down.
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Kels Dayton is a freelance writer whose work has also appeared in SLAM Magazine. You can check out more of his work at RoundballDaily.com. Follow him on Twitter @RoundballDaily.