Houston Bound: Has Kansas Already Proved Its Ability to Make The Final Four?

They are 11 games into the regular season and they are off to an undefeated start. So is it safe to say the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks will be making the trip to the Final Four in Houston?  Absolutely not.

After KU's devastating loss to Northern Iowa in the second round of the NCAA tournament last year, it is established that you can never issue an early guarantee that a team will qualify the Final Four.  Ever.

But ... is it becoming safe to say that Kansas has the ability to make the Final Four?  

Absolutely.

Kansas came into the 2010-11 season as a team that was returning multiple starters and bringing in even more young talent into the program.  Marcus and Markieff Morris have proved to the nation that they are one of the most dangerous combinations in all of college basketball.  The twins have become powerful threats inside and are now forcing opposing big men to cover them on the perimeter.

Don't feel like coming out on them?  They won't hesitate to make you pay.  Between the two of them, the Morris twins have drained 17 treys.

If you follow college basketball, you should already know that the addition of Josh Selby to the active squad has lifted the Jayhawks even higher.  Through just two games against Pac-10 teams, Selby is 11-of-24 from the field including an impressive 8-of-9 from beyond the arc.  Rain dance!

But it's easy to make evaluations based on the players who make the highlight reels and get most of the interviews.  What you have to realize is that Kansas wins basketball games because of the contribution of every Jayhawk who steps onto the court.

Kansas has the ability to make the Final Four in part because of guys like Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed and Thomas Robinson.

You could easily look at a stat sheet and say, "I don't understand why Brady Morningstar gets so many minutes. He only puts up 5.1 points per game."  

What a stat sheet wouldn't tell you is that Morningstar is probably the most unselfish player on the Kansas squad.  He's always looking to dish to the open man, even if he has a decent shot opportunity of his own.  Not that he can't make shots, because he can, but the senior realizes what one more good pass can open up.  

He's not concerned with dropping 15 points a game as much as he is getting his teammates a better look.  Morningstar is a main reason the Jayhawks ball movement has been so effective lately.  He also brings defense to the table, forcing turnovers and coming up with timely steals.

Tyrel Reed is a coach's dream.  The kid plays his heart out every second he is on the floor for Kansas.  Reed is an all-around player who could start for most any team in the country.  He plays great defense, makes smart passes and takes smart shots.

His ability to make catch-and-shoot 3-pointers causes trouble for opposing defenses.  If Josh Selby can drive and cause defenders to collapse on him, expect a dish out to a ready-to-shoot Tyrel Reed toeing the 3-point line.

Reed was the reason Kansas was able to stay one step ahead of the Golden Bears last night in Berkeley.

Whether is was a clutch 3-pointer or driving and drawing a foul, Reed was dependable last night.
It's also a good sign for Bill Self and company when you lose arguably your best player and can depend on your bench to step up.

Thomas Robinson is another up-and-coming standout for Kansas.  After Marcus Morris was ejected from KU's contest against Cal, it was almost as if Kansas replaced him with a clone.  Kansas didn't find itself without a strong presence down low as Robinson was able to step in and play well.  

He's got freakishly long arms and broad shoulders, reminiscent of NBA star Dwight Howard.  Give him the ball down low and I feel bad for whoever has to guard him.  Robinson brings tenacity and an athleticism that is off the charts.  Give him another year and an argument will be made that he'll be an All-American.

The Jayhawks may have more depth this season than Self has had in his time at Kansas—yes, even more than the National Championship squad of 2007-2008.  How many teams can sub in four players at a time and not lose all of their fire power?  Self's free waves of substitutions sometimes look more like hockey shifts than basketball lineup changes.

And it goes beyond the three guys I've just mentioned.  All of KU's players bring something special to the table.

Any college basketball fan knows that its team's star players will have games where they can't buy a bucket.  For that problem, you have to have depth on the bench to help recover.  

As each game passes, the Kansas Jayhawks continue to show just how effective their bench can be.

Like I said, no one can predict exactly who will be playing in Houston in a few months.  No matter how good Kansas looks or becomes as the season rolls along, its not guaranteed anything.

But as far as the ability to be one of the elite teams in the nation and the NCAA tournament come March, you better believe that Kansas now has the magic to make it happen.