Sleeping On Kansas Basketball In 2015-16 Would Be A Huge Mistake

A few weeks ago in my 2015-16 early outlook for the Kansas Jayhawks, I mistakenly referred to the Jayhawks as a dark horse in the Big 12 due to the Iowa State Cyclones being the favorites. What I did not realize is that the majority of preseason polls had changed just a few days earlier to replace Iowa State with Kansas.

After this realization and thanks to the outrage of several Kansas fans on Twitter, I decided to watch the Jayhawks compete in something I take little stock in, the World University Games. As I watched the WUG, I had yet another realization.

I almost made the dreaded mistake of sleeping on Kansas basketball.

This team is not a dark horse for the Big 12, nor should it have been if Fred Hoiberg had stayed at Iowa State. Kansas should be considered the favorite for the national championship just like the expected 2015-16 elite teams such as the Maryland Terrapins and North Carolina Tar Heels.

We already knew that Perry Ellis and Frank Mason III were great players, but my biggest question for Kansas coming into the season was whether or not Wayne Selden Jr. could transform from a consistent scorer with flashes of greatness into a go-to, 14-plus points a night kind of guy. He answered that with a huge showing in the WUG and, if he carries that success into the 2015-16 season, could be the offensive spark that leads this team through the most difficult conference in the country.

Last season, their defense was good enough to win games, but it fell apart on the road. Although you cannot put much stock in the team’s defensive performance in the World University Games, you can guarantee that the confidence of winning the WUG will carry over into the 2015-16 season.

Confidence will be key down the stretch, especially in Big 12 play, as the Jayhawks travel to some of the most hostile environments in college basketball. Last season’s road performances have to sit heavy on the minds of this veteran-laden team, because Kansas cannot afford to lose too many road games due to the importance of Big 12 Tournament seeding.

Bill Self is an elite college basketball coach, Kansas is an elite college basketball school and the 2015-16 Jayhawks are an elite college basketball team. Don’t make the error I almost did, because sleeping on the Jayhawks will be the biggest mistake any person or any team makes next season.

Taylor Sturm is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.