As a program, Kansas’s 2,429 college basketball wins rank first in the country.
From the father of basketball himself in Dr. James Naismith, to Phog Allen, to Larry Brown, to Roy Williams, and finally to Bill Self, the city of Lawrence has been the home of some of the greatest minds the college game has ever seen.
And since Self took over in 2003, the Jayhawks haven’t missed a beat – until now.
“Kansas basketball, for years under Bill Self, [was] the gold standard of college basketball,” said CBS Sports’ college basketball expert Jon Rothstein in this …
But, in the last two seasons, things have taken a turn for the worse. While 21-13 (last season) and 23-11 (2023-24 season) are hardly subpar campaigns for most schools, Kansas isn’t most schools, it’s one of the basketball schools. It’s a premier blueblood.
Unfortunately, according to Rothstein, that label doesn’t carry the weight it used to.
“Name, image, and likeness has balanced everything out. And now, all of a sudden, being a blueblood does not have the same cache that it used to when it comes to recruiting the best of the best,” said Rothstein.
“A kid can go to BYU, a kid can go to St. John’s, he can go somewhere else, and get compensated handsomely, rather than going to a blueblood. It’s not as big of a hook as it used to be.”
Self’s situation at Kansas is a prime example of just that, and Rothstein broke it down further:
“Kansas’ roughly last 20 years under Bill Self: Championships in the Big 12. One seeds and two seeds at nauseam in the NCAA Tournament. Tied for fifth (2023-2024), and then sixth last year in the Big 12 standings.”
Nonetheless, the Jayhawks are hardly falling off from their premier status. Not only did Self and his crew land the top-ranked prospect in the Class of 2025 in Darryn Peterson, but they brought back former five-star recruit Flory Bidunga, and put together a solid transfer portal class.
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