Kansas favored to win 15th straight conference title

LAWRENCE, KAN. — There have been plenty of times over the past 14 years that Kansas was supposed to have a tough test in the Big 12, only for the Jayhawks to emerge on top when March rolled around.

The year Texas had Kevin Durant, or Oklahoma boasted Buddy Hield.

The years that Jayhawks coach Bill Self had to replace all five of his starters, or that some other up-and-coming program was stocked with the kind of talent that Kansas seems to get every season.

This was not supposed to be one of those years.

Yes, the Jayhawks lost their entire backcourt of Devonte Graham, Svi Mykhailiuk and Malik Newman to the NBA.

And yes, rival Kansas State returned almost its entire roster from a team that went to the Elite Eight last year, giving the Wildcats a real feeling of confidence heading into the season.

But the Jayhawks merely restocked with a bevy of high-profile transfers and five-star recruits, and the result was a No. 1 ranking that they held through much of the nonconference slate.

It wasn't until this past weekend against Arizona State that they lost their first game — without injured big man Udoka Azubuike — that they dropped further than second in the AP poll.

Now, the fourthranked Jayhawks (10-1) have a final tuneup Saturday against Eastern Michigan before setting their sights on an unprecedented 15th consecutive conference championship.

"The reality of it is we weren't going to run the table," Self said. "Let's not get carried away, and I hate saying this — you never want to lose — but certainly you'd rather learn from a nonconference loss than a conference loss, so hopefully we get something from (the loss to Arizona State). I think it's a teaching moment."

Meanwhile, the Jayhawks might have much more competition in the Big 12 than previously thought.

The Wildcats (9-2) are coming off an impressive win over Vanderbilt despite losing preseason player of the year Dean Wade to a foot injury.

No. 11 Texas Tech (11-1) leads the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency and just gave Duke all it could handle.

Iowa State (10-2) got Lindell Wigginton and Solomon Young back from injuries last week and has shown plenty in their absence.

"We've got good players," Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. "If you think about it, Dean was the only underclassman on the first team All-Big 12 last year, and Barry (Brown) was second team. So two underclassmen in an unbelievable league, probably the toughest league I've been a part of.

"To me," Weber said, "I don't think we've gotten as much recognition as we should. But I don't think they care. They're just driven to be good players and that's important for me."

They're also driven to knock the Jayhawks from their lofty perch in the Big 12.