The Jayhawks Need A Win Tonight, Simply For Confidence

This would be my first article about my beloved Jayhawks, basketball or football, so bare with me.

The Kansas Jayhawks (8-2) are in a relatively unfamiliar position. For the first time in recent memory they are staring in at the top 25 from a relatively large distance—34th in the Coaches and 36th in the AP, respectively.

The Jayhawks have to feel a bit unlucky to be 8-2. After controlling the game for almost all of regulation, the Jayhawks let Syracuse force overtime, where the Orange eventually won 89-81 in the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO.

Then after a couple of decent wins against New Mexico State and Jackson State came a week-long break. On the end of that break, the Jayhawks would once again find themselves in the Sprint Center, this time taking on the Minutemen of UMass.

This time the Jayhawks came out flat, and lost a game in which both teams played horrendous basketball. Sherron Collins was trying to do too much, sophomore standout Cole Aldrich barely touched the basketball in the second half, and the Jayhawks were losers on the day.

The reigning National Champions came back after a week long break for academic finals to host the Temple Owls at the Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks controlled the game, and suffered only a couple of hiccups in a 71-59 victory.

Now the Jayhawks will really have to show what kind of team they are. Tonight they take on a traditional power in the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson, AZ. While Arizona is a program trying to find an identity, winning will surely take a solid team effort.

The Arizona game starts a 19-day gauntlet where the Jayhawks face new power Tennessee, travel to East Lansing to face Tom Izzo and Michigan State, and sandwiched in between those matchups will face Albany and Siena.

If the Jayhawks can find a way to navigate those games with two or less losses, they should feel okay going into conference play. While Sherron Collins has been cemented as KU's go to player—and Aldrich right behind him—this extremely young KU squad is exceptionally talented, but lacks identity as a team.

Bill Self seems to draw his starting lineup on a piece of toilet paper before the game. Brady Morningstar has been in a starting role since he torched Coppin State for 21 points earlier in the season. Tyshawn Taylor has been starting alongside Collins and Morningstar in the backcourt, Aldrich will always start at center, and Bill Self seems to alternate his starters at the four spot.

Kansas must go to the desert expecting to get the win. If the Jayhawks can get to 10-2 before facing Tennessee at the Fieldhouse, a win in that game may propel them to finish this tough nonconference schedule with just two losses.

13-2 going into conference play would be a lot to ask from this team, and I don't know if Bill Self can expect that. I think he would be happy with 12-3 or 11-4 before opening up conference play against in-state rival, Kansas State.

First thing's first: a win against Arizona tonight will get them back on the right track to becoming a solid top 25 team.