Kansas Jayhawks Basketball

The Kansas men's basketball team's struggles have reached a fever pitch after the No. 14 Jayhawks fell 76-46 to No. 1 Houston on Saturday.

Kansas entered this game as losers of four of its last eight games, but now the season has hit its nadir as Houston's defense completely shut down the Jayhawks.

This game was never close. Houston even led 34-9 at one point en route to a 40-21 halftime edge. The Cougars, who never trailed, continued their dominance over the Jayhawks in the second half en route as they cruised to a win.

KU made just 15-of-45 field goals (33.3 percent) and 3-of-21 three-pointers (14.3 percent). The Jayhawks also had nearly twice as many turnovers (18) as assists (nine).

Kevin McCullar Jr., who entered Saturday averaging a team-high 19.1 points per game, finished with zero. The four starters outside of big man Hunter Dickinson made just 4-of-19 field goals.

To make matters even worse, Dickinson left the game with an apparent right shoulder injury with just over 11 minutes left in the second half and did not return.

Needless to say, this was an historically bad loss for the Jayhawks.

Via @ESPNStatsInfo: Kansas' loss to Houston was the Jayhawks' first 30-point Big 12 loss since 2000. It was the first time Kansas scored fewer than 50 points against a Big 12 opponent and the first time they've done so vs. a conference opponent since Feb. 9, 1982 vs. Missouri.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 9, 2024

Houston enjoyed a balanced scoring attack, with eight players scoring six or more. Jamal Shead paced the team with 13 points alongside eight assists and six rebounds.

And with that, Houston avenged a 78-65 road loss to KU from Feb. 3, which marks the last time the Cougars have been defeated. Since then, Houston has rolled off nine straight wins to move to 28-3 overall (15-3 Big 12).

Meanwhile, KU has lost five of nine now as the team's inconsistencies on both ends plague the team.

The Jayhawks, who entered the season as the Associated Press' top team, have the talent to win the NCAA tournament but clearly have some things to figure out before March Madness.

For now, though, fans and analysts alike criticized the Jayhawks for this brutal defeat.

Kansas and Missouri fans watching their teams get smoked in March. pic.twitter.com/njtP2UHfsx

— Carrington Harrison (@cdotharrison) March 9, 2024

I’ve never turned a Kansas game off in the first half.

It might happen

— RRinehart (@RRinehart2012) March 9, 2024

The Kansas Jayhawks have quit.

They’re out there just vibing as Houston counts down the time until they cut down the nets as conference champs.

— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) March 9, 2024

Things I would rather do than watch the 2023-2024 Kansas Jayhawks:

- have my eyelids slowly removed with a rusty razor blade

- eat a handful of live spiders

- lifetime sentence in a Turkish prison

- watch lord of the rings without complaining about how terrible it is

— Derek Hein (@derekhein) March 9, 2024

Kansas Jayhawks DO SOMETHING!!!!!!!

— Gracie (@BarstoolUSSR) March 9, 2024

There is no team in college basketball that is as dependent on matchups and is really good when the matchups work and an absolute dumpster fire when they aren’t than the Kansas Jayhawks.

— Tommy Castor (@TweetsFromTommy) March 9, 2024

Another stellar start for the 2023-24 Kansas Jayhawks. 2 points in 5 min. 😂

— Amir 💚🤍❤️ (@AmirR79) March 9, 2024

what happened to the kansas jayhawks this season? they stink.

— kev - lvl 3 tiktok & xiaohongshu data collector (@justkevooo) March 9, 2024

Watching the Kansas Jayhawks play basketball in 2024 pic.twitter.com/sSzVfMhPSh

— Ball Knower Brick 🧱 (@ballknower340) March 9, 2024

Kansas Jayhawks basketball are frauds.

— Josh Wheeler (@JoshWheeler23) March 9, 2024

https://twitter.com/openedtrade/status/1766589794241356277

There's a pretty real chance Kansas ends the year with a football team ranked higher in the AP poll than its basketball team

— Blake Schuster (@Schustee) March 9, 2024

Kansas Jayhawks have spring football practice soon!!!!!!!!!

— Cam (@camwerner) March 9, 2024

The Big 12 tournament is up next for the Cougars and Jayhawks. The seedings are not yet finalized, but the competition begins Tuesday in Kansas City with first-round play.

That certainly wasn't what the Kansas Jayhawks were expecting on Tuesday night.

The No. 7 team in the nation was upset at home by unranked BYU 76-68, and a poor shooting effort was one of the primary culprits.

DOWN GOES NO. 7 🚨@BYUMBB snaps Kansas' 19-game home winning streak. The Cougars earn their 1st win against Kansas since 1960. pic.twitter.com/iTT95kIFk9

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 28, 2024

The Jayhawks shot just 39 percent from the field (23-of-59) and only 20 percent from three (3-of-15), all while the Cougars sank 13 of their 34 attempts from deep. Seeing those numbers, a quote from Kansas head coach Bill Self on Monday suddenly took on an almost spooky quality.

"The other day (against Texas) we made three [three-point shots] and played really well," he told reporters. "If they make 13 threes, they've already outscored you [by] 30 points from the field."

Well, he called it. Unintentionally, but he still called it.

As for his Jayhawks, college basketball fans and analysts didn't take it easy on them after the loss, though the absence of Kevin McCullar was fairly noted:

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Kansas is vulnerable with a healthy Kevin McCullar.

Without him, the Jayhawks won't reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. https://t.co/dz6vu0pkWV

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) February 28, 2024

Seeing a lot of tough Kansas takes that don't mention McCullar being out. Guy is a first team All-American on a team with no bench. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more significant injury anywhere. That's the only take you need.

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) February 28, 2024

FINAL: BYU 76, No. 7 Kansas 68. In Lawrence.

Stunner in the Big 12. Jayhawks blow 12-point second-half lead, lose at home for first time all season. Offense just isn’t the same w/o Kevin McCullar Jr.

Dallin Hall and Jaxson Robinson huge in second half for BYU. Team made 13 3s.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 28, 2024

Big statement from BYU, snapping Kansas' 19-game home winning streak. Cougars have more than held their own as Big 12 newcomers. Jayhawks still haven't won more than two in a row since Dec. 22-Jan. 6. Kevin McCullar's absence is glaring.

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) February 28, 2024

Kansas been too inconsistent. they look like a different team every game

— Luis Alvarez (@RawwHoneyy) February 28, 2024

https://twitter.com/lilpipecleaner/status/1762680846564147513

What is clear about this Kansas team is that it is just not good enough without Kevin McCullar Jr. to consistently play winning basketball against good competition.

Followed up the Baylor win with getting smacked at Texas Tech.

Followed up the Texas blowout with the BYU loss.

— Walker Carey (@walkerRcarey) February 28, 2024

Worst Kansas team since 2018-19 if not in the last decade.

Can't win if you only make 4 shots in that stretch and have Dickinson shoot 40 percent from the line https://t.co/oCDnHs8En0

— Bennett R. Boyle (@RealBennRBoyle) February 28, 2024

BYU's Dallin Hall led all players with 18 points, while Hunter Dickinson put up a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double for the Jayhawks.

Kansas (21-7) has lost four games this season to teams that were unranked at the time and is third in the Big 12 standings, trailing Houston by three games. Since Self took over ahead of the 2003-04 season, Kansas has won an incredible 17 Big 12 regular-season titles, but it won't be happening this season.

BYU (20-8), meanwhile, eradicated any lingering doubt about whether it would earn an NCAA tournament bid. Beating Baylor and Kansas is a solid pairing of signature wins. Not too shabby for the conference newcomers.

For the second time this season, the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks have lost to an unranked opponent.

The Jayhawks fell to the West Virginia Mountaineers 91-85 on Saturday afternoon at WVU Coliseum, dropping to 15-3 on the season following a second-half collapse.

WEST VIRGINIA TAKES DOWN NO. 3 KANSAS 🚨 pic.twitter.com/QRiWICiiej

— ESPN (@espn) January 20, 2024

Kansas and West Virginia entered halftime tied at 51, but the Jayhawks collapsed in the final minutes of the contest as the Mountaineers began to pull away in part thanks to RaeQuan Battle, who finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one block.

While Kansas saw five different players hit double digits in scoring, it wasn't enough as the team's defensive efforts sputtered down the stretch. Mountaineers forward Patrick Suemnick, who is averaging just 4.4 points this season, managed to put forth his best game of the season, finishing with 20 points.

Kevin McCullar Jr. led Kansas with 24 points to go along with four rebounds and five assists, and Hunter Dickinson notched 19 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks.

After the game, college basketball fans ripped the Jayhawks for their disappointing effort against a West Virginia team that entered the contest with a 6-11 record:

And Bill this is exactly why you have to start playing your bench so:

1. They all don’t transfer every year

2. Your starters aren’t completely exhausted every game.

— Werek Wade Willer (@OleBeeM) January 20, 2024

Another first weekend exit in the tournament way overrated

— Jon Roth (@FrostAdvisory79) January 20, 2024

Unacceptable. One bad loss is one thing, but losing to the bottom of the conference just can’t be happening.

— Daniel Greiss (@daniel_greiss) January 20, 2024

When are people going to realize how overrated Kansas is??

— Younkíc (@acyounker) January 20, 2024

Kansas is overrated

— Carson🌾 (@carson_ksu25) January 20, 2024

Horrible collapse from Kansas in the last 2 minutes.

— Noah Ball (@nouhball) January 20, 2024

*whispers*

Not sure Kansas has a Big Four right now.

— Isaac Trotter (@Isaac__Trotter) January 20, 2024

Kansas is now 5-7 at West Virginia in the Bill Self era. Given the level of talent on the team over the last several years, that's an unacceptable record on the road against the Mountaineers.

The Jayhawks will look to bounce back on Monday against unranked Cincinnati before traveling to face No. 24 Iowa State on Jan. 27.

One day after both No. 1 Purdue and No. 2 Houston suffered losses, another top team in the nation fell.

No. 3 Kansas was on the receiving end of a 65-60 upset loss to unranked UCF on Wednesday night. It's the first time since the 2004 NCAA tournament that the top three teams in the AP Poll lost to unranked teams in the span of two days.

The Jayhawks led by as many as 16 in the game before being outscored 36-23 in the second half by the Knights, who were playing in their first Big 12 home game in program history.

Kevin McCullar Jr. led the Jayhawks with 16 points while also adding six rebounds and five assists. Star center Hunter Dickinson was limited to 12 points and four rebounds. Kansas committed 18 turnovers in the loss.

The loss dropped the Jayhawks to 13-2 and ended their nine-game win streak. It's the first time that Kansas has scored under 65 points since the team's last loss to Marquette on Nov. 21.

Fans on social media didn't hold back their thoughts about the Jayhawks' lackluster performance on Wednesday night:

The #3 Kansas Jayhawks just choked away their shot at returning to #1 in the polls...

The Jayhawks fall 60-65 at UCF... what a win for the Knights!⚔️ pic.twitter.com/4vHjirThrB

— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) January 11, 2024

UCF lost by 25 on Saturday at Kansas State in its first-ever Big 12 game.

Tonight, it beat Kansas.

Anarchy?

Nope. Just College Basketball.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 11, 2024

ANOTHER TOP 5 TEAM FALLS AS @UCF_MBB UPSETS NO. 3 KANSAS 🚨

This is the Knights' highest AP-ranked win in school history. pic.twitter.com/RYg63iUGZG

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) January 11, 2024

I want to take the high road by damn Kansas folks been all over UH about how the AAC teams couldn’t adjust to the Big 12, especially the last 48 hours… and man, just too funny. https://t.co/dHG5VHd4Ze

— Parker Ainsworth is #WideAwake (@painsworth512) January 11, 2024

Been saying Kansas is going to be by far the worst addition from the expansion. For both basketball and football. Memphis woulda been better bar none (especially for basketball) https://t.co/hUuHMLV40V

— Barstool UCF (@UCFStool) January 11, 2024

Kansas fans yesterday: “We’re gonna be #1 now”!

Kansas today: pic.twitter.com/Sq57SyJuQP

— Cyclone Dave (@CycloneDave69) January 11, 2024

Why are the KU basketball team and the Kansas City Chiefs the exact same team this year. Offense is painful, somehow winning games, gonna lose some bad ones.

— Bethany Gatz (@BethanyGatz) January 11, 2024

Kansas will look to bounce back on Saturday against No. 9 Oklahoma (13-1).

Kansas basketball won its fifth straight game Saturday night as the No. 2 Jayhawks got past Missouri 73-64 in a battle of the borders.

While Kansas picked up another solid win to add to the resume, there was a certain aspect that had fans torn.

Jayhawks big man Hunter Dickinson, who transferred to Kansas from Michigan ahead of this season, had a shaky performance after looking like a candidate for Player of the Year early this season.

He had just 13 points on the night — down from his 20.1 points per game average. His off game had fans debating whether he is ready for the intensity of Kansas' schedule.

Hunter Dickinson CLEARLY not ready for the Border War Intensity™️

— Payton J. Havermann (@paytonisnotroll) December 9, 2023

https://twitter.com/mattw1se/status/1733617456646611347

You can definitely tell why dickinson isn’t in the NBA

— Tigered Lafferty (@tiger_laffing) December 9, 2023

This is the worst Hunter Dickinson has played at Kansas. Credit the Tigers for doing all sorts of movement and getting him out of his element. But he’s also a couple of missed bunnies away from having, like, 14 and 12. The floor is so high.

— Rock Chalk Blog (@RockChalkBlog) December 10, 2023

https://twitter.com/ry12559/status/1733638793478148316

Dickinson faced major slack after his slow start. He only attempted two shots in the first half, which allowed Missouri to keep things close early. Fans criticized his lack of aggression in such an intense game.

Anyone know if Hunter Dickinson has any interest in playing basketball today?

— Colin Belmont (@cbelmont15) December 9, 2023

Hunter Dickinson out here doing cardio early

— JKuhn (@h8rproof82) December 9, 2023

We're 8 and a half minutes into this game and Hunter Dickinson only has one shot attempt. Gotta get him more involved in the next four minutes.

— Ariel Puterman (@arielcbb) December 9, 2023

2 shots for Hunter Dickinson in the first half lol

— Kyrie Serving (@_teflondonz) December 9, 2023

As some fans were critical of Dickinson, others praised him for his work on the glass. He pulled down 16 rebounds on the game and was a major force for the Jayhawks on defense. Some fans argued that it was Dickinson's lack of touches that contributed to a slow offensive night.

Hunter Dickinson is now the second active player in NCAA D1 to have reached milestones of 1,800 points and 900 rebounds. #kubball

— Gabe Daniel (@gdaniel_74) December 9, 2023

Man hunter Dickinson is good

— Luke Newhouse (@LukeNewhouse) December 9, 2023

Hunter Dickinson has come to life in Lawrence. He's already pulled down 3 offensive rebounds this half, bringing his total for the game to 13 boards. #Mizzou: 34 | Kansas: 47 | 15:28 2nd

— Matt Reincke (@MattReincke) December 9, 2023

Not enough touches for Hunter Dickinson. Somebody should tell the fellas it’s ok to get something teed up for the best player on the floor.

— Rock Chalk Blog (@RockChalkBlog) December 9, 2023

Breaking: Hunter Dickinson is very good at the game of basketball.

— Calum McAndrew (@C_McAndrew95) December 10, 2023

Hunter Dickinson's consistency battling for rebounds even during a meh-scoring game shouldn't be taken for granted.

— Scott Chasen (@ChasenScott) December 10, 2023

While fans were divided on what to think of Dickinson's performance, they can agree that it was a good win for Kansas, which improved to 9-1 on Saturday.

Fans will be looking for a little bit more production from Dickinson moving forward, but it was a positive sign that the Jayhawks were still able to take care of business during an off night from their star player.

Kevin McCullar Jr.'s hot three-point shooting guided the No. 5 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team to a 69-65 home win over the No. 4 UConn Huskies.

McCullar hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to turn a 54-52 deficit into a 58-54 KU lead with 5:15 remaining.

it's RAINING in AFH ☔️ pic.twitter.com/tOSoua1T25

— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) December 2, 2023

Hunter Dickinson, who scored 15 points, then followed up with his own three for a 61-54 edge.

nothing but net 😮‍💨#LevelUp x @H_Dickinson24 pic.twitter.com/KqBENfht91

— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) December 2, 2023

UConn clawed back to make this a one-possession game at 63-60, but McCullar answered again with a three for a six-point lead with 1:10 remaining.

K3V.#LevelUp x @Kevin_McCullar pic.twitter.com/bV9aNZBWk4

— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) December 2, 2023

The Huskies weren't done yet, though, thanks to Tristen Newton scoring five of his game-high 31 points down the stretch. After Dajuan Harris Jr. missed two free throws, UConn had a chance for the win down 67-65, but Cam Spencer's three-pointer missed the mark. Two KU free throws closed this out.

This was a great game featuring two top-five teams who easily could find themselves making deep March Madness runs. In the end, though, McCullar's hot shooting proved to be the difference.

He's been dominant after returning to school for his second season at KU (following three seasons at Texas Tech), averaging 18.1 points on 51.6 percent shooting, 7.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists.

Naturally, fans and analysts were impressed with his clutch performance.

Disregarding Kevin McCullar’s tendency to foul 3-point shooters, it seems he’s about 75% better than he was last year.

— tulls (@tacopperman) December 2, 2023

Kevin McCullar has been really, really good this season. Taken his game to another level.

Terrence Shannon Jr. has also been terrific thus far for Illinois.

If only Texas Tech could get players like them …

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) December 2, 2023

Bud Walton on Wednesday night was the loudest arena I've ever been in.

But when Kevin McCullar hit that three for Kansas, Phog Allen got pretty damn close

— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) December 2, 2023

So, Kevin McCullar has gone for 20+ points in 4 of Kansas' first 8 games this season. Incredible. `

— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) December 2, 2023

I'll say it again. Nothing Bill Self did this offseason was bigger than getting McCullar to come back. He annoyingly turns into Kevin Durant in big games.

— kstate_MAN (@kstateman14) December 2, 2023

Kevin McCullar is good at basketball, what a win

— Derek Johnson (@DJohnsonRadio) December 2, 2023

Jamari McDowell confirming that Kevin McCullar does indeed have big balls. https://t.co/aAQAOVZHSd

— Rock Chalk Blog (@RockChalkBlog) December 2, 2023

Kevin McCullar is the best player in America and if you disagree go debate with a wall tbh

— Chris Kern (@ChrisKern11) December 2, 2023

Kansas has been LOOKING for offense.

Kevin McCullar Jr. has been MASSIVE.

— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) December 2, 2023

Kevin McCullar comes up huge for Kansas as the Jayhawks get a 69-65 win over UConn.

Tristen Newton was ridiculous 31. But Kevin McCullar hit some HUGE shots down the stretch.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) December 2, 2023

The 7-1 Jayhawks will now play UMKC on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.

No. 1 survives.

In the best game of the young men's college basketball season, the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks outlasted the No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats for an 89-84 victory in Tuesday's Champions Classic at the United Center in Chicago.

It was a back-and-forth affair throughout, and there were extended stretches where it seemed like both teams would eventually pull away for the win. Yet clutch shooting from Dajuan Harris Jr. and a dominant performance from Hunter Dickinson was enough for the Jayhawks to prevail.

Dickinson finished with 27 points, 21 rebounds and three steals, while Harris added 23 points and seven assists behind 5-of-6 shooting from three-point range. Throw in a triple-double of 12 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds from Kevin McCullar Jr., and Kansas had too much firepower.

The performance drew praise from social media:

Via @ESPNStatsInfo: Hunter Dickinson is the first player with 20 points and 20 rebounds vs. Kentucky over the last 25 seasons. It's also the first 20/20 game in Champions Classic history.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) November 15, 2023

Hunter Dickinson beats the horn 🚨

Kentucky leads 48-41 at the half! pic.twitter.com/dFojiiGzSX

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 15, 2023

Dajuan Harris is such a stud. Was so good last year. I also continue to not rule him out as NBA player as a backup PG. So steady. Gets everyone invovled. Wholly unselfish mentality. Great defender. If the shooting is real like it was tonight, has a case as best PG in the country

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) November 15, 2023

Dajuan Harris catching FIRE from deep 🔥 @KUHoops pic.twitter.com/kTboEaO9q5

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 15, 2023

The Dajuan-Harris-to-Hunter-Dickinson lob/dish potential this season is sky-high. Those two could grow to have great feel for each other's tendencies.

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) November 15, 2023

What a response by Kansas!

15-2 run puts Jayhawks up by two. Dickinson doing Dickinson things, but everyone has a part in this one. Let's see how (and whether) the Kiddie Cats answer.

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) November 15, 2023

Love how aggressive Dajuan Harris is being offensively. He has largely taken a backseat in his career but this team needs him to be more of a scorer, and he has stepped up that way tonight

— Brian Rauf (@brauf33) November 15, 2023

.@KUHoops is now 26-1 when Dajuan Harris has 10 or more points.

It’s clear as day, the Jayhawks are better when he isn’t just a pass first point guard.

— Andrew Lind (@WIBWAndrew) November 15, 2023

Hunter Dickinson's body control when he came off that baseline spin was impressive. Sensed the help and finished on left side when usually going to reverse there.

— CJ Moore (@CJMooreHoops) November 15, 2023

FINAL: Kansas 89, Kentucky 84

Jayhawks were down 14 at one point in the second half, but Dajuan Harris hit some HUGE 3’s and Hunter Dickinson had a monster game (27 points, 21 rebounds).

Give Kentucky credit. Were right there with Reeves and Wagner combined 8-36 from field.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) November 15, 2023

Veteran win for Kansas. Took a huge punch from Kentucky and stayed steady. Hunter Dickinson and Dajuan Harris were the difference

— Brian Rauf (@brauf33) November 15, 2023

The Jayhawks are the top team in the country with national championship aspirations thanks to the presence of a number of headline veterans, while Kentucky was the one with some questions about youth and inexperience.

It didn't look that way in the first half.

Freshman Rob Dillingham provided an immediate spark off the bench with a barrage of three-pointers and a willingness to facilitate when Kansas collapsed on him. Combine that with sophomore Adou Thiero controlling the boards and scoring from different areas, and the SEC representatives jumped out to a seven-point halftime lead and extended it to double digits.

However, the seemingly inevitable Kansas run arrived.

Dickinson started overwhelming Kentucky's bigs down low, and McCullar set up K.J. Adams Jr. for multiple chances in a row that included an alley-oop. McCullar then converted an and-one, and just like that the Big 12 team had the lead.

HERE COME THE JAYHAWKS!

7-0 run for @KUHoops 👀 pic.twitter.com/bp46WDr152

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 15, 2023

It would have been easy for the Wildcats to fold down the stretch after Kansas appeared to seize control, but they did the opposite. Much like Dillingham in the first half, freshman Reed Sheppard provided a key lift off the bench with his outside shooting, and Antonio Reeves created multiple scoring chances.

The back-and-forth defined the second half, but Harris' red-hot shooting from the outside and a key basket down low from Dickinson in crunch time secured the win for the Jayhawks.

They will look to keep the momentum rolling when they face Chaminade on Monday.

Kansas' Bill Self signed a new contract with the school that makes him the highest-paid coach in men's college basketball, according to The Messenger's Jeff Goodman.

Goodman reported the deal is worth around $53 million over five years.

According to USA Today, Self had been earning nearly $6 million annually in total pay, which trailed only Kentucky head coach John Calipari ($8.5 million).

In April 2021, Self signed a lifetime contract with Kansas in five-year rolling increments. The school confirmed Tuesday that the two sides had amended the original agreement.

"Bill Self is undoubtedly the most consistent coach in college basketball, and a restructuring of his contract terms were long overdue," athletic director Travis Goff said. "In an ever-changing collegiate athletics environment, our strong commitment to Coach Self positions KU basketball to maintain and enhance its status as the most storied program in the country."

Self is in his 21st season with the Jayhawks, having carried on the success the program enjoyed under predecessor Roy Williams. He has compiled a 581-132 record (.815 winning percentage) and collected eight Big 12 tournament titles along with two national championships.

More accolades could beckon in 2023-24.

Kansas opened as the No. 1 team in both the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll and got the season started with a 99-56 victory over North Carolina Central on Monday. Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson had 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists in his debut.

Hunter Dickinson showed out in his Kansas debut:

21 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 2 BLK

The top player in the transfer portal was ready to go in the opener 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RyyABh3u1g

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) November 7, 2023

The Jayhawks will look to justify the hype surrounding them when they play No. 16 Kentucky in Chicago on Nov. 14.

Reigning national player of the year Zach Edey can add another accolade to his lengthy list of achievements.

Per ESPN, the Purdue star big man has been named to the AP preseason All-America team, and he was this year's lone unanimous selection. Edey is joined by Kansas center Hunter Dickinson, Marquette guard Tyler Kolek, Duke big man Kyle Filipowski and North Carolina forward Armando Bacot.

Edey is coming off a dominant 2022-23 season, in which he averaged 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 60.7 percent from the field. He should be even more motivated this season after the Boilermakers became just the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament with their upset loss to Farleigh Dickinson this past spring.

The 7'4", 300-pound center tested the NBA draft waters before he decided to return to Purdue for his senior season. He made his decision after receiving advice from his mother and his agent, who told him to do what would make him happy.

"It was a no-brainer that I'd come back to Purdue at that point," Edey said. "I get to come back to great teammates, a university that loves me, to compete for every championship that's out there. That's something you don't get very often and something I didn't want to pass up."

Dickinson is undoubtedly the most impactful transfer this season, as he helped Kansas earn the No. 1 spot in the preseason AP Poll. He averaged 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds last season while starring at Michigan.

"From a shooting, aggressiveness, passing, playing out of doubles, he probably is as advanced as anybody I've ever been around, and he is without question the most equipped to have a big year for a first-year player," Kansas head coach Bill Self said of Dickinson.

Kolek is the reigning Big East player of the year and averaged 12.9 points, 7.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds last season for Marquette. Bacot averaged a double-double for the second straight season, posting 13.7 points and 10.1 rebounds for UNC. Both he and Kolek earned third-team All-America honors for their efforts.

Filipowski became the fourth player in ACC history to earn rookie of the year and conference tournament MVP honors in the same season. He led all freshmen with 16 double-doubles and averaged 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds for Duke, which is ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP Poll.

The NCAA charged the Kansas men's basketball team with five Level 1 violations (the most serious NCAA infraction) amid the FBI's investigation into bribery in college basketball, but the organization's Independent Accountability Review Process (IARP) downgraded the severity of those allegations, meaning the program avoids serious penalties such as a postseason ban.

Despite that downgrade, longtime KU head coach and two-time national champion Bill Self believes his "reputation has been tarnished immensely," as told to ESPN's Myron Medcalf at Big 12 media day on Wednesday

"But the whole thing is we knew right from the jump what we had done and what we had not done," Self said. "The bottom line is I'm proud of how we conducted our business. At the end of the day, it was a long blip, but it was still a blip in the big scheme of things."

Per Carlos Silva Jr. of the Topeka Capital-Journal, the downgrades made this situation a "Level II case." As such, a postseason ban was off the table, and Kansas instead received a three-year probation.

Tod Palmer of KSHB 41 Kansas City summarized the allegations against KU, leading to the NCAA's initial Level I violation decision.

"KU received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA in September 2019 based on evidence that several former Adidas representatives "provided impermissible benefits to and had impermissible recruiting contacts" with prospective student-athletes on behalf of the men's basketball program and Self.

"The allegations against Self and the basketball program center around phone calls placed to and money paid to former Jayhawks basketball players, including Billy Preston and Silvio De Sousa, during the recruiting process."

KU self-imposed some penalties, including a four-game suspension for Self and assistant Kurtis Townsend to start the 2022-23 season.

The IARP panel also ruled that KU had to vacate 15 wins (every victory De Sousa played in) and its Final Four appearance from the 2017-18 season. KU lost to eventual champion Villanova in the national semifinal.

With the decision levied, Kansas can now look ahead to this season, which sees the Jayhawks sitting first in the preseason poll. KU opens up the campaign on Nov. 6 versus NC Central.