A Self-Reevaluation of Offense

A Self-Reevaluation of Offense Threes, not bigs have made Kansas a superpower in the Big 12, NCAA again Khris Matthews-Marion Contributing Writer, Sports Radio America Bill Self has won 10 straight conference titles through imposing frontcourts, with big men like Joel Embiid, Marcus and Markieff Morris and Jeff Withey, and traditional low-post domination. And though there have been years that Kansas has had high three-point shooting percentages, never have they been so dependent on the success of their outside prowess. If one studies the new-look Jayhawks carefully enough, he or she will see an uncommon characteristic of Bill Self coached teams: limited post play in favor of increased outside shooting. In the Jayhawks' change from an offense centering on low-post dominant big men to one that features crafty, quick penetrators and deadly sharpshooters, they have seemingly mastered reinvention in one of the strongest conferences in college basketball this year. The Jayhawks have shot a startling 40.2 percent on the season and 44.6 percent in conference play from the perimeter, but their 43.9 two-point shooting percentage is the lowest in Self's 12 years as Kansas' head coach. This team is unlike any team that he has coached and is one that depends on making outside shots. Per kenpom.com, the JayHawks are hoisting it up nearly 30 percent of all field goal attempts. Their love for the deep ball has them riding high atop the conference again, but a drastic change from a successful norm is enough to make any fan base cringe. "We're kind of a weird team," Self said after a recent win over conference rival Iowa State. "We have to score points on the block by driving it. We don't score it by throwing it inside and guys scoring it. We've kind of found a way to win some games different than we practice all the time and what we emphasize." Kansas has found a way to transition to a new-school offense and retain their old school, blue-collar charm. Instead of throwing it into the post and letting their centers and forwards outmatch teams, they now use spacing and movement to allow their guards to slice and penetrate deep into hostile territory and kick it out to some of the nations' best long range artists. Sophomores Brannen Greene, Frank Mason and Wayne Selden, who are shooting 51, 42 and 41 percent from deep respectively, have provided youth, savvy and silky-smooth touch for a team that leads the conference in that category. There have been only two years in Self's tenure that Kansas has had a 39 percent or better three-point shooting percentage. In 2007, a Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush-led team that shot 39 percent beat a Memphis team led by future NBA MVP Derrick Rose to win the school’s third NCAA title. Two years later, Xavier Henry, Markieff Morris and Sherron Collins led a Kansas squad that shot 40 percent and captured the number one seed in the tournament after finishing the season 33-3 and 15-1 in the conference. If Self can manage to decipher the conundrum of lower percentages inside the three-point stripe and combine both past and present success, the road to the conference – and possibly the Division I – championship may run through Lawrence. .

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