Kansas Basketball: Jayhawks Must Use Kentucky Blowout as Learning Experience

Kansas suffered a fate many other college basketball teams will deal with this season: Being embarrassed by Kentucky.

In what was supposed to be a showcase of two of the best squads in the nation, only one showed up, and the Wildcats left with a 72-40 win. The Jayhawks only scored 12 points in a second half that many will want to forget.

Brian Hamilton of Sports Illustrated might have summed it up best with his Rocky IV reference:

It is not surprising that head coach Bill Self wanted a strong drink after his team's performance, as noted by ESPN's Eamonn Brennan:

This is the type of game where you want to burn the tape and start fresh. However, this is not the best strategy for a young team with a lot to learn.

While it is true that virtually everything that could go wrong did go wrong, there is still a lot of talent on this roster that needs to be utilized. There is a reason it was considered the No. 5 team in the nation in the preseason polls, as Kansas boasted the No. 4 incoming recruiting class, according to 247 Sports. Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre were top-10 recruits for 2014, and Wayne Selden was highly touted as well in 2013.

The players have to shake off the loss to what appears to be a juggernaut, figure out how the problems can be fixed and move forward.

Besides, isn't this type of loss early in the season what happens at the beginning of every good sports movie?

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The first thing to examine is which problems are fixable and which will the team have to deal with all year.

One of those latter issues is a lack of height, especially compared to a monster team like Kentucky. While the Wildcats have multiple 7-footers, Kansas' starting lineup tops out at 6'8". Sophomore Landen Lucas stands at 6'10" and might be forced to see more minutes in these battles in the future.

What this lack of height did is create an almost impossible task of scoring in the paint, leaving the shot chart to look like this:

This also showcases another potential long-term problem with three-point shooting. Including the recent loss, Kansas has now shot just 5-of-25 in two games from beyond the arc with a roster full of players who have failed to prove they can make shots at the college level.

Andrew Wiggins and Naadir Tharpe are gone, and what remains are players who struggle with consistency in this area. Players like Selden or Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk could improve over the course of the year, but this still seems like it will be a weakness all season. 

So if the team cannot score inside or outside, how is this team going to get points?

In order to mitigate the previously discussed problems, the players have to be put in a position where they can succeed. Instead of the big men trying to back down taller defenders, they need to get the ball in transition and find ways to finish open dunks, utilizing their natural athleticism. Instead of guards chucking bad three-point shots, they need to wait until they have room to shoot where they can be more efficient.

All of this comes down to point guard play with the ability to break down defenders, get into the lane and find opportunities for others.

This lack of quality was arguably the biggest problem against Kentucky. Frank Mason went 1-of-10 from the floor, mostly attempting layups time and again only to see them swatted back in his face. He could not create better looks for himself and certainly could not create much for others.

According to KenPom.com (subscription required), his assist rate (percentage of assisted field goals when he is on the floor) this season is just 5.4 percent. The best point guards in the country are usually around 40 percent. This is a small sample size, but he has not shown any indication this will change.

Younger players like Alexander and Oubre are not ready to make too many one-on-one plays, while others don't seem to even have this in their arsenal. This team needs a leader capable of running the offense and putting his teammates in a position to score. Someone needs to find ways to make the smart plays in the half court while also pushing when necessary for fast-break points.

If Mason is not up to the task, it might be necessary to give freshman Devonte Graham the role. Self certainly thought highly of the player coming into the year, per KUSports.com's Matt Tait:

Graham appears to be very composed with the ball and often makes the right play. He, and even Mykhailiuk, might be better options to run the offense going forward.

Still, the biggest issue with the Jayhawks could be the lack of a go-to player who's willing to take a shot when the team needs it. Wiggins was this player last year and he is not walking through the door; neither is Ben McLemore, Thomas Robinson, Danny Manning or anyone else.

Whether a returning player like Selden or Perry Ellis steps up or it is one of the freshmen like Alexander or Oubre, someone needs to have the willingness to put the team on his back and make plays to end a rut. No one could do that against Kentucky and it led to just 12 points in the second half.

If Kansas wants to win another Big 12 title and contend for a spot in the Final Four, there will need to be at least one trustworthy option to get the ball to with everyone believing he can make a play. That person is somewhere on the roster, he just needs to show himself.

Selden might be the most likely candidate to take this role—and he did attempt a game-high 12 shots against Kentucky—but he has a lot to prove in the coming weeks and months.

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On the plus side, the Jayhawks will not be facing anyone nearly as talented as Kentucky for the rest of the year until possibly the NCAA tournament. Against weaker competition, the lack of size will not be as much of an issue, and neither will an apparent lack of depth, as most opponents will not feature 10 possible NBA stars.

Kansas also showed its outstanding defense in the loss, holding John Calipari's team to just 43.1 percent shooting from the field. Each player seems willing to play tough in one-on-one situations, something that will lead to plenty of success on that end of the court.

As the season progresses, the young players will continue to improve and we will see that this is truly a top-five team. The important thing is that improvements are made and the squad does not get too dejected from a miserable defeat.

There are plenty of lessons to be learned from the loss that can make the team better in the future, whether that means playing to their strengths or making adjustments to the lineup.

If the players take the right attitude going forward, we could possibly be seeing this rematch in April.

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