Tag: kansas jayhawks

Huskers shutout Kansas to earn 1,600th program win

The Huskers earned a milestone victory on Tuesday.

The Nebraska softball team returned home Tuesday to host Kansas. The Huskers shut out the Jayhawks while scoring four runs to snatch the program’s 1,600th win.

Nebraska finished the night with nine hits for four RBIs to earn its four runs. Kansas delivered six hits but could not capitalize, with only one runner making it to third in the game.

Samantha Bland delivered two RBIs on the night for Nebraska, going three-for-three in the batter’s box. Bland’s RBIs occurred in the first and third innings, helping Nebraska build a 2-0 lead.

Brooke and Billie Andrews each had an RBI for the Huskers. Billie hit a solo home run in the sixth, while Brooke finished with three hits and an RBI single in the fourth.

Emerson Cope earned the win in the pitching circle, facing 17 batters across 4.1 innings and surrendering just five hits. Kaylin Kinney claimed the save, taking over for Cope in the final 2.2 innings. Kinney faced nine batters, threw two strikeouts, and allowed just one hit.

Nebraska improves to 22-13 on the season and will remain home for its next three games. Starting on Friday, the Huskers host Penn State in a three-game series. The first pitch is set for 5:30 p.m. and can be viewed on B1G+.

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Former Florida guard commits to Kansas on Easter

The Kansas Jayhawks added a talented guard from the SEC on Sunday.

The Kansas Jayhawks had a disappointing year by their standards after they were bounced in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Gonzaga. One of the big issues was losing top scorer Kevin McCullar prior to the tournament getting underway. As head coach Bill Self looks to build for next year’s team, he already scored a major win in the transfer portal.

On Easter Sunday, former Florida Gators guard Riley Kugel announced that he would be heading to Lawrence for next season. Kugel posted his decision on X, formerly Twitter. In the post you can see a couple of photos of him wearing Kansas gear as a child. Apparently, it was always meant to be for Kugel.

The former Florida guard was listed as the No. 9 point guard in the transfer portal and No. 39 player overall by 247Sports. Coming out of high school in the 2022 cycle, Kugel was a four-star prospect and No. 56 nationally. This gives Self a good start to build around his 2024-25 roster.

Kugel is one of four newcomers to the 2024 class. He is joined by five-star center Flory Bidunga, four-star point guard Labaron Philon, and four-star shooting guard Rakease Passmore. All of who signed out of high school recently.

With the Gators, Kugel averaged 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 65 career games with Florida.

Kansas Jayhawks who won’t return

The following players won’t join the roster next season as each are out of college eligibility.

  • Kevin McCullar Jr, Texas Tech Transfer
  • Parker Braun, Santa Clara Transfer
  • Nicolas Timberlake, Towson Transfer

Kansas Jayhawks who could return

No players have announced yet if they will return but here is the list of players who could return. With the three signees and one transfer, that would leave the team with one open scholarship spot on the team due to NCAA penalties.

  • Hunter Dickinson, Center
  • Dajuan Harris Jr, Guard
  • Johnny Furphy, Guard
  • Jamari McDowell, Guard
  • Elmarko Jackson, Guard
  • KJ Adams Jr., Forward
  • Zach Clemence, Forward

Big 12 powerhouse in contact with Wisconsin Badgers transfer guard

Big 12 powerhouse in contact with Badgers transfer guard

The Big 12’s Kansas Jayhawks are in contact with former Wisconsin guard A.J. Storr, according to a report from 247Sports’ Michael Swain.

Storr announced he was declaring for the 2024 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility. He entered the portal on Thursday, ensuring he would not be back in Madison for a second season.

The star guard averaged a team-high 16.8 points per game in his one season with Greg Gard’s squad at Wisconsin. A possible transfer would mean his third collegiate team in as many seasons, and seventh team in seven years dating to high school.

Storr will have no shortage of suitors if he decides to return to college.

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Bill Self’s admission of looking forward to next season while Kansas was still alive was unfair to this year’s team

Bill Self could have kept this to himself.

Bill Self put his foot in his mouth Saturday after Kansas was eliminated from the second round of the NCAA tournament with a blowout loss to Gonzaga. During his postgame press conference, Self was asked if he was already looking forward to next season and the head coach responded by admitting he was looking ahead even before the tournament started.

“For the last month I’ve been thinking about next season, to be honest,” Self said. Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the team he was still coaching just a few moments earlier.

College basketball fans dragged Self for what sounded like an admission of giving up on a season that ended with a top-25 AP ranking and 4-seed in the tournament, disappointing only by Kansas’ own high standards. Sure, the Jayhawks had four losses in their previous five games before the tourney started, including the last two by a combined 50 points, but March is for miracles and a deep Kansas run would have hardly counted as such.

What Self said isn’t actually the problem, though, and shouldn’t be interpreted as him quitting on the season. In fact, him acknowledging he can do better to improve the roster is actually a statement of accountability — an admission of his own failure to put together a team he could believe in this year. Where he went wrong is that he said it out loud. Self should have kept this to himself.

“We could have done a much better job as a staff putting more guys out there that we could play,” Self said. “And so that’s something that I’ve thought about for a long time.”

Every coach is concerned with how they can improve their teams from year to year, and that doesn’t start and end in the offseason. Holes on a roster are never more evident than during the grind of a regular season. Self admitting as much shouldn’t be taken as him giving up, rather it’s a peek into the mind of someone obsessed with winning. There’s no way to prove Self wasn’t giving 100 percent while manning the sidelines for this year’s team, but if anyone deserves the benefit of doubt, it’s a two-time champion and third active career wins leader.

Because a team isn’t good enough doesn’t mean it needs to be said, though. Self admitting his team was short on “firepower” and lacked the depth to overcome injuries didn’t accomplish anything but throw his current players under the bus. Maybe he did it to absolve himself of a sub-par coaching job, or maybe he lacked the awareness to know how it would come across. But it was completely unnecessary and below any coach, particularly one already held in high regards.

A clean Samford block vs. Kansas was called a foul late in the loss and fans were rightfully livid

This was all ball, not a foul.

If you are a Samford fan after Thursday’s March Madness first-round loss to Kansas, I wouldn’t blame you for being furious after the near-upset of the No. 4 seeded Jayhawks.

The No. 13 team was down 90-89 with under 20 seconds to go. As the Jayhawks got the ball up the to Nick Timberlake, the Bulldogs’ A.J. Staton-McCray got a hand on the ball and knocked it away as Timberlake hit the hoop and fell.

And it was called a foul.

Replays showed it was all ball that Stanton-McCray got, and fans were rightfully furious. Kansas went on to win 93-89, but the block that wasn’t was all anyone could talk about:

 

 

Bill Self spoke out about Kevin McCullar Jr. after the Kansas star faced criticism for sitting out March Madness

Self defended his senior star.

The No. 4 seed Kansas Jayhawks will have a tough road ahead of them in the men’s NCAA tournament after head coach Bill Self announced upon arriving to Salt Lake City that leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. will miss the entire tournament. McCullar had been battling a bone bruise in his knee since January and had been in and out the lineup for months.

But shortly after that announcement, McCullar faced criticism for missing the tourney given Self’s own implication that doctors had cleared the Kansas senior to play. Here’s the clip from Tuesday:

Self said at the time that though McCullar hadn’t injured his knee worse, the pain had not subsided to the point where he can play. So, they decided to shut him down for the entire tournament regardless of any potential tourney run for the Jayhawks. The reaction to those comments and similar remarks from players drew a negative response from Kansas and college basketball fans.

A few hours before Kansas’ game against Samford, Self took to Twitter and spoke out on the situation. He wanted to make it clear that McCullar did not quit on the team and that it was a decision Kansas and the team doctors made.

Self added that McCullar would act as an assistant coach during the tournament. Kansas is expected to have star center Hunter Dickinson available for the game after he suffered a dislocated shoulder against Houston.

Without Kevin McCullar, Kansas on upset watch against Samford

The shorthanded Kansas Jayhawks will be without star guard Kevin McCullar Jr in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, which could lead to an early exit in March Madness.

The Kansas Jayhawks earned a four seed in the NCAA Tournament after a pedestrian – by their standard – 10-8 record in Big 12 play and an exit in the first round of the conference tournament at the hands of Cincinnati.

Kansas was missing Kevin McCullar Jr and Hunter Dickinson in that contest, their two leading scorers, and while Dickinson will be back for the team’s first round matchup against the No. 13 seed Samford Bulldogs – McCullar is reportedly going to miss the entire NCAA Tournament with a nagging knee injury.

McCullar missed a few regular season games prior to his absence against the Bearcats, but when he was on the floor he was an incredibly dynamic two-way player for the Jayhawks – averaging 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while shooting 45.4% from the field and playing at an elite level defensively.

Beyond the loss of McCullar and his specific skill set, this loss exacerbates what has been an ongoing issue for Kansas this season – a lack of depth.

Self has never been one to play a deep bench, but this year’s Jayhawks have been overly reliant on their big four of McCullar, Dickinson, KJ Adams, and Dajuan Harris to get them through night in and night out.

Kansas tried freshman Elmarko Jackson and Towson transfer Nick Timberlake to start at the two alongside the big four, but both struggled to contribute consistently offensively before the job was eventually given to Australian freshman Johnny Furphy.

Furphy has been far and away the best of the bunch, but now he’ll face even more pressure filling in for McCullar while one of Jackson and Timberlake step into a bigger role against the Bulldogs.

Samford’s press-heavy, constant pressure approach could cause serious issues for this depleted Kansas roster – and it is entirely possible we see the Jayhawks heading home unusually early in this year’s big dance.

Blue Devils land projected 2025 lottery pick Khaman Maluach

Duke lands massive prospect as 2025 center Khaman Maluach has committed to Duke.

Ahead of their biggest game of the season against their rivals with a chance to take home a share of the ACC regular season title, the Duke Blue Devils just received a significant boost to their 2024-2025 season.

Projected lottery pick and soon-to-be five-star on every primary recruiting website Khaman Maluach announced his commitment to Duke Wednesday afternoon.

Maluach is a massive commitment, figuratively and literally. He stands 7-foot-2 and will slot into the center spot soon to be vacated by Kyle Filipowski at year’s end. He brings rim protection, which the Blue Devils have missed the most defensively this season after losing Dereck Lively to the NBA.

However, he’s a much more refined offensive product who can handle the ball, shoot and facilitate for others. Combine that with the athleticism and lateral quickness to guard on the perimeter, and you have something special.

In short, there’s a reason he’s projected as the third overall prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft behind his soon-to-be teammate Cooper Flagg.

Maluach has been on Duke’s radar for a year, and as they methodically built a relationship with him from Durham all the way to Africa, where he hails from. Duke has remained a constant despite visits to Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, and advances from G League Ignite.

“Duke is home, that’s where I belong.” Maluach said in a conversation with ESPN. “This was the hardest decision I’ve ever made. I felt like I could succeed anywhere, but I was most comfortable going to Duke. All the schools recruiting me are big-time programs, but in terms of my development and the relationships I built with the coaches, they were the best.”

Maluach has an impressive basketball resume already. This summer, at 16 years old, he helped his native country of South Sudan qualify for the Paris Olympics as one of the youngest players in FIBA World Cup History.

He plays at the NBA Academy Africa and will headline the World team at the Nike Hoop Summit next month, where he will take on his future teammates Cooper Flagg, Isaiah Evans, and Patrick Ngongba II.

Kansas to hire former Nebraska coach as defensive analysts

A former Nebraska position coach has found a new job heading into the 2024 season.

A former Nebraska position coach has found a new job heading into the 2024 season. Mike Dawson will be joining the Kansas Jayhawks staff as a defensive analyst.

Dawson spent four seasons at Nebraska, coaching from 2018, 2019-22. He coached the defensive line in 2018, outside linebackers in 2020 and 2021, and edge rushers in 2022. He spent the 2019 season coaching with the New York Giants.

Before coming to Lincoln, he coached in the collegiate and professional ranks. He’s spent time with the Eagles, Boston College, Akron, and New Hampshire.

Dawson will be joining a Jayhawks defense that ranked No. 62 in the national in total defense. Kansas surrendered an average of 378.2 yards per game during the 2023 season.

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How to watch, key players for No. 20 Oklahoma Women’s Basketball at Kansas Jayhawks

The Big 12 regular season women’s champs are back in action for one final regular season game and here is how you can watch them.

It is time for the country to start noticing what the Oklahoma Sooners are doing right now. They just completed the season sweep of the Texas Longhorns with a great game earlier this week.

That win also clinched them the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] regular season championship for the second season in a row. They moved to 15-2 in the conference with one game to play and them being ranked No. 20 is criminally low. If they beat the [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag] and aren’t top 12 next week, there should be an investigation.

I’m only kidding, kind of.

Still, there is work to be done as the Sooners don’t want to fall to a Kansas team that is 17-11 on the season and who they only beat by five in Norman earlier in the year. So, let’s take a look at how you can watch the game and some key players.