Bill Self and His Kansas Jayhawks Absent from Headlines

You'd think there would be plenty to write about concerning the Kansas basketball team these days.  After all, since when is the No. 1 ranked team in the nation not headline-worthy?

However, not only has Turner Gill been occupying the headlines around Lawrence these days (Yes!), but Bill Self and company aren't giving fans much out of the ordinary to talk about anyway.

For starters, Cole Aldrich seems to be bolstering down the post game. He posted 19 points and five blocks on Saturday against La Salle.  That kind of performance combined with the contributions of a surging pair of twins—who are averaging a combined 19 points and 11 rebounds per game this season—make Kansas's front court hard to complain about.

Speaking of brothers, not only has Xavier Henry (18 points, four rebounds, and two assists per game) established himself as one of the country's elite freshman, but his elder brother C.J. is starting break through the rust as well. 

The older Henry, who played 10 and 11 minutes in the past two games, respectively, is beginning to come around on defense, and most importantly, has not turned the ball over during his growing stretches of game time.

Then, of course, there's Tyshawn Taylor, who has finally started to come around of late (16 points, 12 assists, and no turnovers in the past two games).  He may find himself back in the starter's role any day now (if he hasn't already). 

However, should he fall from Self's good graces again, I'm sure the head coach can find someone off his bench to take the sophomore's place.

Now that I mention it, junior guard Brady Morningstar and freshman seven-footer Jeff Withey will be joining that shallow, broken-down bench of Self's very soon, too.  How nice will it be for these guys to ease their way smoothly back into the lineup at the coach's convenience?

Finally, of course, there's Sherron Collins.  He has been the exact type of super-efficient, consistent leader the Hawks need him to be.  The All-American point guard has quietly pressed Kansas to its 9-0 start without attracting any extra, unwanted attention as well.

In fact, the Jayhawks seem to be following a theme of avoiding extravagant attention.  They're not blowing anyone's minds and aren't quite to midseason form yet, but the young men from Kansas, led by Collins' example, are more than just taking care of business, and are flashing new positives each and every game.

I guess Bill Self and the Kansas basketball team are perfect proof that no news really is good news.

We'll see if Kansas can keep things going in the right, surprise-and-headline-free direction this Saturday at 11:00 AM when the Jayhawks take on the Michigan Wolverines in the highly-publicized "green game." 

In order to do so, Xavier Henry will have to figure out a way to slow down super-junior Manny Harris (22 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals per game). 

Doing so successfully will open a path for the Jayhawks to reach double-double digit wins and a 10-0 record so far this season.

Not doing so may lead to Kansas and Bill Self making headlines...