Kansas Basketball: Difficult Nonconference Games Will Pay Dividends for Jayhawks

There are times in sports where you have to either sink or swim, but Bill Self seems to be putting weights on his players to make it harder.

Kansas moved to 7-1 on the season with a 75-70 win over Georgetown, continuing a run of extremely difficult games for the Jayhawks. While this has been a real challenge for a young team, it will all pay off once the conference games and postseason roll around.

Wednesday's game was the fourth in a row against major-conference opponents after Kansas earned wins over Tennessee, Michigan State and Florida. Prior to that, the team had difficult matchups against Rhode Island and UC Santa Barbara, two teams that could easily be dancing in March.

The only failed test to this point was the 72-40 loss to Kentucky, but even that had its benefits. Even if the game film can be thrown out, the young players were likely humbled to the point they will refocus on working hard to be much better next time out.

While other teams are playing opponents like Incarnate Word (and losing), Kansas is putting itself to the test every single game with the No. 4 overall strength of schedule in the nation, according to KenPom.com.

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There was a new challenge against the Hoyas, as it was the first road game of the season. Battling a team with an excellent frontcourt was going to be even tougher without forward Jamari Traylor, who was suspended for the game following an arrest.

Although Joshua Smith and Mikael Hopkins had big days down low for Georgetown, Kansas found new ways to score by shooting lights-out from three-point range. Brannen Greene had a team-high 19 points on 5-of-5 shooting from behind the arc after not scoring in the last two games, while four other players also made threes.

Defensively, everyone was willing to fight hard for rebounds while the guards did a great job to limit penetration. After seeing Florida get some easy layups last game, it's not an accident D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera was held to 3-of-15 shooting, even if Self did say this was lucky in his postgame press conference, via GUHoyas.com:

"

I think they're good, we got lucky tonight because D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera didn't make shots, but I think they have some nice pieces. I bet you that they're going to end up having a good year and they're well coached and well drilled and I'm sure Georgetown will be right in the middle of it during BIG EAST play.

"

The fact remains Kansas just beat a very good team on the road to once again show what it can accomplish. It was never going to be an easy win, but the Jayhawks found a way to end up on top. ESPN's Myron Medcalf discussed the importance of the game:

People who counted this team out after the blowout against Kentucky are certainly changing their tune now.

Player	Times	Opp.
Perry Ellis	3	RI, TENN, MSU,
Wayne Selden	2	UK, FLA
Brannen Greene	2	RID, GU
Devonte Graham	1	UCSB

We truly have seen a lot of growth in recent weeks. The win against Florida required plenty of mental strength after being down 15 at halftime, but Wayne Selden put the team on his back with some great individual efforts driving to the basket. On a neutral floor versus Michigan State, Perry Ellis was the star as the squad pounded the ball down low.

In just three games, this team has shown it can win in three very different ways against three talented opponents. 

Different players are stepping up and gaining confidence, knowing they are capable of big games later in the year if needed. Everyone is also buying into the system that can beat just about any team when things go well.

If those three matchups were against the Ohio Valley Conference, we wouldn't have learned anything.

Instead, Kansas keeps getting better and remains a force to be reckoned with in the conference, as argued by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports:

Amazingly, things only get more difficult with an upcoming game against No. 13 Utah. While the "neutral" game is at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, the Utes still pose a threat behind Delon Wright and Jakob Poeltl. Almost everyone on the court can hit a three, and it leads to an extremely efficient offense.

This will be yet another opportunity for Kansas to prove itself against a top opponent with a different style. Win or lose, it will prove beneficial going forward.

The Big 12 features a variety of top teams like Texas and its outstanding frontcourt, Iowa State and its fast-paced offense or the great guard play from West Virginia and Oklahoma. No matter what happens, Kansas will be ready for it, and the players will be able to truly believe they can get it done.

Even if there are some stumbles along the way, the Jayhawks have shown they can beat some of the best teams around, whether it is in a tough environment or things do not go their way early. 

Self has done everything he can to test his young roster, but those players are passing with flying colors and are now ready to be the contender everyone thought they could become.

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