Kansas Jayhawks

1. Joe Morgan disapproves. According to the VORPies over at Basketball Prospectus, Kansas has the #1 Pythagorean winning percentage in all the land. In addition, they are ranked #1 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. I have no idea what this means (other than Mario Chalmers clogging up the bases, obviously), but, hey: We're #1!

2. Seniors Rule. In a stark contrast to the youthfully exuberant Kansas teams of the past couple years, this year's team features six seniors, four of whom see significant minutes somewhere outside of practice. Much has already been written about Sasha Kaun, Russell Robinson and Darnell Jackson. Brad Witherspoon, Jeremy Case, and Rod Stewart, on the other hand, toil in obscurity. Why? Because they're not as good as the other guys. Witherspoon is a gritty walk-on from Humboldt, KS who I am sure plays the game The Right Way and probably pulls more tail in a week than I did in all my many years of college. Jeremy Case is the last remaining link to the Roy Williams Era. I hear he's been lighting it up in practice. I have, however, been hearing that for five years. Rod Stewart takes the downtown train (didn't see that one coming, did you?) and has finally found a place in the rotation as a defensive specialist, several seasons after transferring from USC.

3. 20 years. It was 20 years ago that Kansas, led by Danny Manning and coached by Larry Brown, won the 1988 NCAA Championship just down I-70 in Kansas City. The team was feted at halftime of the Colorado game several weeks ago. In a delicious bit of coincidence, the broadcaster assigned to the team was none other than former Oklahoma star (and former Rockford Lightning head coach) Stacey King, whose heavily-favored Sooners team lost to Danny and the Miracles in the aforementioned championship game.

Bonus tidbit: Which former coaching stops of naturally coiffed Bill Self will not be joining KU in the NCAA tournament? Tulsa and Illinois. Suck it, Illini! — Pete Gaines