Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - Why Kansas Basketball is BACK | Areas the Jayhawks Are Much Improved from Previous Two Seasons

Episode Date: July 3, 2025

Kansas Jayhawks Basketball: Back on Top? Bill Self's Squad Poised for Resurgence led by potential NBA Draft #1 pick Darryn Peterson.Is Kansas primed to reclaim its spot among college basketball's elite? Host Derek Johnson breaks down why the Jayhawks are set for a major bounce-back season under legendary coach Bill Self after earning a 7-seed in 2025. From the game-changing addition of  Peterson to improved offensive rebounding and enhanced athleticism, Johnson analyzes the key factors that could propel Kansas to a top-2 seed in March Madness. But questions linger about the team's shooting efficiency and foul trouble concerns.Will Peterson emerge as the next great Kansas All-American? Can centers like Flory Bidunga and Paul Mbiya transform the Jayhawks' defense? What will Elmarko Jackson, Jayden Dawson, Melvin Council and Tre White bring? Tune in for an in-depth look at Kansas' path back to national prominence and why some skeptics might be underestimating Bill Self's 2025-26 squad.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!GametimeToday's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE at www.monarchmoney.com/lockedoncollege for 50% off your first year.FanDuelRight now, new customers can get ONE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

On today's Locked on Jayhawks, I'm going to tell you why despite some of the national media being a little bit down on KU, they are back and Bill Self is going to bring this team back to the promised land in the 2025 to 26 season. You are Locked on Jayhawks, your daily podcast on the Kansas Jayhawks, of the Locked On podcast network your team every day. What's going on Derek Johnson here this is Locked On Jayhawks thanks for making it your first listen every day and thank you every day is catching each and every episode of the show. And on today's edition of Locked On Jayhawks we're gonna talk is KU back I know they like when you think of that with like Texas and Miami and football and stuff it it's like, there was a

reason to ask that it's two down years in Kansas, one in which they got a four seed and one in NCAA tournament game. But we're gonna ask that question is Kansas back and why I think maybe they're being slept on a little bit from the national media areas where I think they'll be improved because you have to have to have a reason why I think they'll be back to what we've been accustomed to with Bill self in his time at Kansas areas though, still where they might be improved because you have to have to have a reason why I think they'll be back to what we've been accustomed to with Bill self and his time at Kansas areas though still

where they might be worse in areas where it's kind of up in the air and it's TBD but overall I think this Kansas team will be better than it was certainly last season or maybe if you're making the comparison to two years ago when they were healthy with Kevin McColler I don't know that would be an interesting debate as well but let's get started here in a second first this episode of the show is brought to you by Monarch money. And you can take control your finances with Monarch money use code locked on college at

Monarch money.com for 50% off your first year with Monarch money. Okay, so I you look at some of the national media and there's I've seen places that have Kansas outside their pre season top 25 right now. I've seen, you know, you look at like the Joe Linares early season bracketology is just stupid to begin with. Everybody's zero zero bracketology is supposed to be a reflection of people's resumes and what that resume reflects. Nonetheless, pedestal off.

There's some places that have them down. I have Kansas to me, I think they're closer to being a top, I don't know, 10 to 12 team in the country, which is more in line with where we've seen teams in the Bill South era. I think some places, most places have them closer to being that like 15 to 20 range, which I think that's understandable. Again, I still think maybe I'm the high man on on that compared to that. But I can at least understand that some of the ones where it's like not top 25 and stuff that is crazy to me. But I think this gets

them back to the bills up there. And so you look at like Ken Palm ranks, for instance, like this is this is the ranking that Bill self went on in Ken Palm. So he goes 18th his first year, then 11th in his second year from then on 2006 until 2020. These are Bill's rankings final rankings, final rankings in Kenbama, Kansas. Eighth, fifth, first, 14th, second, third, fourth, eighth, seventh, twelfth, third, sixth, ninth, seventeenth, first. And even some of the recent years, I mean, third in 2022, obviously they won the national championship, that's more important, ninth in 2023. But these last two years, 24th and 2025 27th in 2024. And they're also 27th and 2021. So three of

the last five seasons, they've been outside the top 20. I think this one skews more to being one of those that's inside the top again, if we're to take that metric, like most of the seasons in there inside the top 12. And I think this one will will wind up being there. What are the reasons why? What areas are they most improved from where they were a season ago? Or really, if we compare this to the last two seasons, because that's how we're judging this, we're judging this is like, okay, it'd be one thing if it

was like one down year for Kansas, we've seen that before, we saw that in 2018 19. And they responded the next year by having the best team in the country. We saw them get blown out in the second round and be a three seed a team that, you know, if they didn't finish the season strong might have been a four or five or six seed in the 2020 to 2021 season and then the following season they win a national championship. We've seen the one off before where they bounce back the next year. We haven't seen it two straight years under Bill Self really unless you want to count the years where they lost in the first round and back to back years and Bill Self second and third season in Kansas, but even then, the second team that lost in the first round had a bunch of young players had like freshman Mario child like you were building to something that obviously ended up being

coordinated in a national champion. So that's why this question becomes pertinent. But I think the first big one I look at is a superstar perimeter player, I'm going to give you a lot of stats and that they were this last year and why I think the first big one I look at is a superstar perimeter player, I'm going to give you a lot of stats and that they were this last year and why I think they're better this year. This is not one that I have just a peer staff for it's just they have a star. Darren Peterson gives you the opportunity to have the best player on the floor each and every night. And

if we want to separate this out between an overall superstar, and a superstar guard, because you can make the argument that Hunter Dickinson was a star in college basketball and multiple time All-American, you would put up unbelievable numbers for KU. There is a difference though, from being a star from being maybe the best player in the country. And there's a chance you have that with Peterson versus Dickinson might have just been a star. And so like I

think of last year, when Kansas played Texas Tech, that game in Allen Fieldhouse, Hunter Dickinson, again, like good player, productive player for Kansas, he was not the best player on the floor. That was JT Toppin, who was the big 12 player of the year, right? You might even be able to argue that like Darian Williams was the next best player on the floor. But point being, you had to have that argument. And there were there were several games last season where Kansas went into

it. And, you know, Hunter Dickinson was good, but maybe Kansas didn't have the best player on the floor. That's not something I don't think you're going to have to worry about this year. And maybe you make the argument when they play BYU, if you're H.A. DeBantz, a believer, or maybe there's somebody who is in the college game, like similar like what a Walter Clayton was this past season for Florida, where it's like that dude's a first team all American, he's the best college player, even a Peterson will be the best overall pro. But you would certainly

think that list of players that is going to be better than Peterson, and it might be nobody to be clear is going to be on one or two hands that you can name it's not going to happen very often. But it's having the we hear guard play wins in March all the time and Kansas having somebody who can dribble the ball can create his own offense, right? Teams could take away 100 seconds and lay in the game, they could double team them and force somebody

else to beat you if you're Kansas, they could sink in on the pain. Well, okay, what happens if you do that with Darren Beasley? Like, he's gonna find the open guy or he's gonna dribble out of it or he's gonna make something happen. So having that superstar perimeter player, you think back to the seasons in which,

maybe this will be a show we do because I'm just thinking of this right now off the off the cuff. One of the seasons that Bill Self has had an all American guard. Okay, I guess it depends how you define guard like oh, Jack Bajie. Is he a guard? Or is he a wing? He was an all American that team won the title. If we're just talking like lead guards initiating guards, so to speak, right? Let's go back to his beginning

years of cancer. I think of Mario Chalmers. Okay, they go to the lead eight, no seven, they win a national championship in oh, wait, no Chalmers was never all American. I don't know why I just blanked on that anyway, but Sharon Collins was a all American, obviously, for Kansas, that team got a three seed in 2009. That team got the number one overall seed in 2010. I would say that was two successful regular seasons for KU, right and C double A tournament can be a crapshoot.

Tejuan Taylor was 13 all American in 2012 for Kansas. And that was a season in which Kansas ends up going to the national title game. Let's see Frank Mason was obviously national player of the year first team All American in 2017. That team finished 31 and five and made the elite a 2018 Devante Graham first team All American that team makes the final four 2020 Devon Dotson the team goes 28 and three and is the best team in the country. So when

Bill self has outstanding lead guards and all American lead guards, they tend to do pretty well. So that is one big reason and that might be the most important because that is how good I think Darren Peterson is. And I think people are sleeping on that in terms of where this Kansas team is. If Peterson comes in and he's a second team all big 12th performer, he'd be a good player that could relate to maybe Kansas being you know, team who's the 24th best team in the country,

maybe at that point. But like if he is as good as you think he's going to be if he is as good as being the best player in the country. I do think they surprise people now beyond that. offensive rebounding, I think is one statistic one that you can look at the last three seasons. These are Kansas's ranks respectively. So going in reverse chronological order, I think is one statistic one that you can look at. So the last three seasons, these are Kansas's ranks respectively. So going in reverse chronological order, I guess, of Kansas's offensive rebound rate nationally, 163rd in the country last season, 286 in the country the year before,

and 179. The season before that in offensive rebound rate. This has not been a great offensive rebounding team the last three seasons. Well, Bill's office had 11 top 50 offensive rebound rate. This has not been a great offensive rebounding team the last three seasons. Well, Bill self has had 11 top 50 offensive rebound rate teams. So it's not like he it's just something he doesn't stylistically do. If he has the horses, they will get the offensive rebounds again, 11 of his teams have had top 50 offensive rebound rates and seven of those 11, including seven of the most recent nine that we're

able to accomplish that feat finished as top 10 overall offenses. What that tells you is when Bill self is able to get a lot of offensive rebounds get those extra possessions. Turns out when you have a good coach who's good at drawing up plays and has good talent that can score off extra possessions, they're gonna have really efficient offenses. I believe this can be one of those top 50 offensive rebound rate teams. Florida Badoonga, excellent offensive rebounder. You look at the four position for KU.

If it's Trey White, Trey White had over a 85th percentile offensive rebound rate. I forget the exact numbers. I think it might've been over the 90th percentile in the offensive rebound rate category for Trey White when he's in at the four, right? If you were talking about playing too big basketball, Bryson Tiller, he's a big dude.

He should help you on the offensive glass as well. Paul M. Bia is somebody who's a good offensive rebounder as your potential backup center. They have athletic guards like Darren Peterson is going to be a good offensive rebounder. Melvin Council is going to be a good offensive rebounder compared to other guards. Marco should be a good offensive rebounder compared to other guards because of their athleticism. There should be a good offensive rebounding team. And I think that's one reason why

they'll be even better than they were a season ago. I think length is an easy one to point to and say, they should be better than last year because they're longer than they were a season ago, right? I mean, you look across the board, it's positional size and versatility. It's nobody who's like short necessarily. It's all players 63646568, there's six, seven with good wingspans. And that's the thing the length floor, you might only be six, nine, but he's got seven to wingspan. Bryson Taylor has like a seven to wingspan Smith Calderon has like a seven to wingspan. Paul and Bia has like a seven foot eight wingspan. Even the guards like Peterson has like a 610 wingspan I think Marco has probably got a pretty decent wingspan when you look at him play and and watch his game. I think Dawson's a plus wingspan Council plus, but this is a very long

team and that has positive impacts in a lot of ways on the basketball court if you're kids I want to continue on where some other areas that they're better. What about some areas where they might be worse though for being honest and some areas where you know TBD I think it could go either way. This is locked on J-Hawks. Today's episode of the show is brought to you by Monarch Money. Ever wish managing your money felt easier? With Monarch Money, it can. Whether you're growing your savings or planning a big purchase, Monarch puts you in the driver's seat.

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basketball for your second lesson every day. Okay. Other reasons that I think Kansas will be better than they were a season ago, or maybe a couple years ago, maybe even three years ago, right? I think that length that we kind of talked about is going to lead also the athleticism. I think this is going to be a good athletic team, more athletic than last year, right? You'll be more athletic at the five, obviously, with Florian and Bia, then Hunter Dickinson. I don't know that you'll be more athletic at the four like KJ

was a good athlete. But like, I think Peterson will be more athletic than what was the one was for you as kind of the lead guard, I think Council comes in as being a very good athlete, Marco coming off injury, he's a very good athlete, like this should be a good athletic team, Cole Rosario off the bench, some nice off the bench, very athletic team, I think though, both of those things should lead to them being better at forcing turnovers and getting steals than they were. So they were 286th in turnover rate defense last season,

they were 253rd in defensive steel rate a season ago. There's no reason why this team can't be better than both of those numbers in terms of, you know, turn of rate and steel rate. It's not like Bill Self is running the press or something like that. But like, there's no excuse not to be, I don't know, at least middle of the pack at it. Like, if we look at some previous seasons, this will actually be interesting. So if we go back to 2023, there were 65th in the country. 2021 was 99th, 20. I don't know, most of the years

there between like, between, most of the years there between like between let's see 2016 through like 2022. They were ranked between 150th and like 190th outside of that 99th year in 2021. Like every season. That's at least nationally average. Can you just be nationally average at it? That would be a huge bump. That'd be huge improvement from where you were these past two seasons. And I think they can because of both those things. Transition play on offense was something that low key kind of dipped off for Kansas this season. KU averaged

10.2 fast break points per game that put them in the 66th percentile nationally. So that is still solid. That's above average to good. But in conference play, which is really the back half of the season, it showed Kansas got a lot worse at it. They were much better at it in the non-con. From conference play for Kansas, they were down to 8.3 fast break points per game. That was in the 41st percentile during conference play. So if you just look at them during conference play this past season when they started having their

struggles, they became a below average transition scoring team. They had just eight transition points in the NCAA tournament loss. And that's right around what they were averaging, right? Bill self teams typically are really good in transition, like Tom is Oh, Bill self teams. A lot of times these teams are really good in transition. And you look at the previous seasons for Kansas where their percentile ranks were in fast break scoring. The previous season again, they were just 66

last year, but 41st in conference play 41st percentile. So you don't want the lower number, you want the higher number 89th percentile the year before that 92nd percentile the year before that 90th percentile the year before that. This has been a really good transition team. Bill self typically has good transition teams, I think because of the athleticism on this team, I think because of the playmaking from the guards like Darren Peterson, I think because you have a

bunch of rim running bigs like Flory Padunga, Paul M. Bia, and just athletes that you can throw out all over the floor, whether it's Melvin Council blazing in transition or Samiz Calderon, possibly. This should be a much better transition team than we saw over the back half of last season. That's another reason they could be better. I think playing multiple ball handling and combo guards should make them better. That's something that is typically the best Bill self teams have multiple ball

handling and combo guards. You think of Frank and Devante, you think of Sharon Mario and Russ Rob, you think of Tyshawn and Elijah, the best teams kind of have this ability. Devon Dotson and Marcus Garrett, right? That's a very different iteration. But both those guys were just that right. And they have a bunch of Marco Jackson, Melvin Council, obviously, Darren Peterson, like you're going to be able to kind of mix and match what you want to do with those guys, you can play

Jayden Dawson as a two or as a three gives you a lot of different options. And so ideally, that will also lead to better turnover rates offensively. Kansas was 167th in the country in offensive turnover rate. Can you get that to be a little bit better? Right? That would be another area. You can be a little bit better. The next one, this is just low hanging fruit. But like getting to the free throw line, Kansas was 354th in the country 354th. Let me repeat that 354th

in the country in free throw attempt rate last season, there were 364 teams in the country that is really, really bad for Bill. Obviously, that was the worst free throw attempt rate of the Bill South era. Like you go back even the year before the 2024 team was not great at getting to the free throw line. They finished 186 in the country. They were a 32% free throw rate this past season was a 24%. They're going to be better getting into the free throw line. They just are. Whether it's the athletes able to get the advantage on somebody,

I don't know what leads that but it's going to be better. That's the reason they should be better. And then I think not maybe if you compare to last year because going into last year, we were super excited about the roster and the depth and all the pieces you had. If you compare to the one two years ago, it is a deeper roster, even though it might not be the deepest roster, I think it's deeper than it was two years ago. Now, maybe that's a little hindsight goggles with where I finished. But that's another reason I think you could be better. So what about areas where they might be worse? What about areas of similarity? Let's finish up with that. This is

locked on Jayhawks. Thanks for joining us on locked on Jayhawks, Derek Johnson here and again, you can check out Lockdown College football or Lockdown College basketball for your second lesson every day. Thank you for joining us on this show today. Alright, so we went over a lot of reasons why I think Kansas will be better than they were the past couple of seasons and why I think they'll be back to being you know, top 10, 12, 15 team team the country under Bill self, honestly wouldn't shock me if they got like a two seed in the

NCAA tournament. But where are some areas where they could actually be worse or, you know, be around the same because we can't just be all they'll be better everything right. That's just not a realistic way of looking at things. I think three point shooting is one where they now this is interesting because like from a volume perspective, I think they'll be better than last year but from a percentage I think it's going to be worse so it's kind of an interesting conversation. They were 88th in the country in three point percentage last season 35.4% on the season but they were only 299th in the country in three point attempt

rate so I could see that going up to where this team is taking more threes than last year. I don't think they're going to launch these. That's just never really going to be the case under Bill Self unless it is like necessity where it's like, oh, we're playing speed at the four. We have to launch threes, right? I don't think that would be the case for this year, but I do think that will attempt more than they were last season. I don't know how many guys like if we were to take that number,

thirty five point four percent that they shot last season. How many guys on this Kansas roster are you confident are going to shoot that level or higher? Right. I don't know. Like maybe Peterson gets above that. Again, freshman, he could shoot 34% and still have a great all-American season at Kansas. But three ball isn't, you know, the biggest strength or you could shoot 40 I don't know. Marco like, they could shoot 36%, he shoot 28. He was a 27 is freshman year, right? Yeah, you look at like Cole Rosario, kind of a streaky shooter off the bench, how much is he gonna shoot? How much is he gonna

play? There's a real question there. Jaden Dawson, he's somebody that I think I would pick to shoot over that. But like, I don't know, Trey White is low volume. Like I said, I think they can get past the three point attempt rate they were last season. I don't know if they'll get the percentage that they were last season. Now, the question is, well, here's the answer. I think what matters more is are you being respected? Are teams defending you from three?

Kansas could shoot 32% from three this year. But if teams are defending the guys that they need to be defended on Kansas, right? Like if they're actually spacing out on Trey white, if they're spacing out on some of these guys, that is more valuable than Kansas shooting 35%. I don't know. Like what is the difference between 35 and 32% over the course of the season? It's probably a good amount of made threes, but is it enough that all the opportunities that you lost from not being

respected from teams being able to sag in the paint, from teams being able to double or triple team Hunter Dickinson, that's more valuable. So it's more valuable if you're respected. And I do think there's a little bit more balance in who's going to be respected on this roster. So from that sense, I think there's more overall gravity, but there's not that one guy who I'm confident

is gonna shoot 40%. There's also not, guy who I'm confident skin shoe 40%. There's also not a team that I'm confident is going to shoot even above 34% on this year's team. So it's complicated when you compare last year to this year's three point percentage or three point shooting, what's better? You know, what's more important, that sort of thing. But yeah, I don't know that the efficiency will quite be there as it was a season ago. fouling opponents, I could see that being an issue for this team a little bit.

Last year's team was 85th percentile in free throw temporary defense, they were really good at not sending teams to the line. They were also 95th percentile in player foul defense. So good job of not fouling teams. Now, you could say, okay, is it a good job not fouling teams? Or is it that your defense just wasn't there? And so you don't even have a chance to foul them, right? You're giving up when you're giving up baskets, you're giving up uncontested layups or wide open threes, or that at

times you were in this could go either way that you were like, Okay, I'm not going to pick up a foul. So I'm just not gonna foul them. And I'll let them have the bucket. I can get the two points back. I can't get the foul back, right. And that can go both ways. Sometimes you need the resistance other times that is the smart play. So I don't know, but like, Flory, for instance, for Badoonga, obviously played less minutes than 100 against and Flory averaged the same

amount of fouls per game as 100 against ended last season. So that should tell you that Flory has to work on the foul stuff. Now a lot of freshmen bigs come in and struggle with foul stuff right away. So I imagine Flory is going to get better at that in year two, but how much better is kind of the question. Imbia, I think is going to have be somebody who comes in and probably picks up a good amount of fouls per minutes played. Bryce Tiller, again, like Bryson Tiller is somebody who is a young player. Like I said, young big men sometimes struggle with fouls. So you could be in a situation where your big men

are in foul trouble a good amount. Plus, if KU is this ultra-athletic, aggressive defense, that's going to rack up more fouls than being a passive defense, right? So I do think, even though that's something the Flory will probably get a little bit better at this year, that is something that you're going to be fouling teams more often than you were, I think, this past season. But maybe that can be okay, right? If you're playing more aggressive out of it, and you're forcing teams to beat you at the line and like, they're not going to call everything they're just not. I'd rather be aggressive and you overfoul than I guess the alternative, which is like you're too passive and

teams are getting easy layups, but you're not sending them to the line, right. The last one here is like, I don't think you really have a center who's going to play 35 minutes a game, which has its pluses and negatives. The negatives is that I don't know that Hunter could ever fully exert the defensive energy needed for a consistent, you know, full every minute that he's in the game.

Cause it's just hard to ask of a guy to play that many minutes at center. I don't think Flory is going to play that many minutes. It's probably going to be closer to, you know, 24 to 28, somewhere in that range. That can be a good thing. That can also put you in a situation where, you know, some get, if Paul and Bia is not ready, if Bryson tiller is not ready,

then you might be like, Oh, I wish we had a center could play 35 minutes. So that would be one there. Now areas of similarity that could go either way, right? They could be better at that could be worse at one of them is two point defense and block rate. Kansas was 21st nationally last season in two point defense. They were 33rd last season and block rate on defense. So those are both very good numbers. That sets a very high bar for can this team get up to that point, right? But I'll say

this. Flory Budunga is a better shot blocker than Hunter Dickinson, right? And you're backfilling what you were because it's not as simple to be like, Oh, Flory is better than Hunter. So it's easy done. Well, okay, but who's taking the minutes behind Flory, right? Because Paul and be a coming in. Is there a chance Paul and be as even a bigger shot blocker than for you, or at least similar. So if you're getting somebody similar as your backup big to what you had last year in terms

of being a good shot blocker, you have a better starting center in blocking shots. That's helpful. Now we'll say KJ Adams block rate was twice of what Trey whites was last season for Illinois. And if Trey whites going to be your for you had a better shop locking for but if Kansas plays some too big basketball, you know that can help out a little bit there too. I do think Kansas just in general like maybe you get a little bit more shop locking and balance and quickness and length and ability for guards to stay in front of other guards on this Kansas defense.

I could see finishing similarly, I could see it finishing actually a little bit better. Like if I was if I had to take one side, will this Kansas team be better or worse at block rate than last year, I would take better. The two point defense though, that's more complicated. That's not just blocks, right. So that one might be more of a push where last season was was really good at that, right, because you were able to clog the paint with with Hunter and KJ two strong guys, and this team doesn't have as many like, just strong guys like you ain't going through the body of KJ Adams, you might be able to go over him because he's a little bit

shorter, but it's gonna be tough to go through like same with Hunter, like, you know, you might be able to speed by him. But like if you get a one on one, or he's there with his big body, like you ain't able to kind of go through the last one here is defensive rebounding. Kansas was 65th nationally last year, they were fourth in the big 12 in defensive rebound rate actually a year before they were first in the big 12 in defensive rebound rate. And the big reason why is Hunter Dickinson he had

a top 35 national defensive rebound rate last season, which if you only look at high major players, he was 12 in the country and defensive rebound rate a season ago. I will say Hunter Dickinson defensive rebound rate is good as it was 25.2%. Flores ain't that far off. Flores is 23%. I do think it probably helped Florey that he got to play with Hunter at certain times to where the matchup he's getting is more of a foreman where it's going to help him on the glass. Like there were probably too many times where there were certain stretches,

certain games where it felt like he was giving up too many offensive rebounds, though the rate might not really show that. too many times or there were certain stretches, certain games where it felt like he was giving up too many offensive rebounds, though the rate might not really show that now the flip side is well wouldn't Flory's defensive rebound rate go up without Hunter taking some of the rebounds right. So you can kind of look at that either way. And you know, I guess now that I'm talking myself into this, like white is a big upgrade as a defensive rebounder from what KJ Adams like, Trey whites defensive rebound rate was 17% last year

Illinois KJ Adams was close to 10%. So you do have a better rebounding for I think KU has better rebounding guards than they did last season that comes with the athleticism they should be able to crash the glass better. So honestly, yeah, I might be talking myself into this being slightly better here but because Hunter was such a good force as a defensive rebounding hub, I do think that at least deserves some respect that like there's a chance they're, you know, not better and

that they're slightly below last year that they're right at the line that last year was even though I have kind of talked myself into it, maybe also being a little bit better for this Kansas team for next season. All right, share this with the haters. This gave you back? Yeah, I think the answer is yes, I think they're gonna be back to being good this year. And my fully back on the idea that like, they're going to be the best team in the country,

they're going to be a one seed. I don't know, I don't know that I'm fully sold there, because I wish they would have that other second like, you know, star piece. But I am sold the back to being do the idea that they're going to be a big 12 title contender, they're going to be a final four contender. This is going to be one of those built off teams that once again is kind of, you know, top 10 top 12 in the country. That'll go for this episode though of the show, you

can find us anywhere you your podcast including on our YouTube page where you can like and subscribe. See you next time for another edition of our locked on Jayhawks.