For all the chaos and cannibalization taking place in the Big 12 this season, the top of the conference sure is in a familiar state after three weeks of play. With a 75-62 win that was as complete a performance as we’ve seen from Kansas all year long — and timed with Texas Tech’s upset of Iowa State — the Jayhawks on Saturday swung the odds of an 11th straight Big 12 title solidly back to their side. Bill Self’s teams always seem to make a significant leap around the holiday break, and this year’s group appears no different. In fact, you could take it one step further and argue that the Jayhawks have noticeably improved just in the last week since losing to Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum.

Cliff Alexander and the Jayhawks are ahead of the pack after a big win in Austin and some help from Texas Tech. (KUSports.com/Nick Krug)

After getting benched for a lack of hustle, Cliff Alexander has burst forward with activity, averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds per game in last week’s outings on his way to Big 12 Newcomer Of The Week honors. He still doesn’t have much of a post arsenal, but he makes up for it with outstanding strength and athleticism. In Austin, he got the best of fellow blue-chipper Myles Turner, outworking him for rebounds and slipping by him for close looks. Alexander’s motor was on display on one defensive trip in particular, when he successfully keeping Turner out of the low post, making the big freshman receive the ball just off the elbow and forcing a bad shot.

Alexander’s frontcourt teammate, Perry Ellis, is also coming back around. Ellis had been benched two weeks ago after committing four early turnovers against Oklahoma State, exacerbating the limitations that made him a target of criticism both to Kansas fans and more objective observers. In the three games since, he’s averaged 16.3 points and eight rebounds per contest with just three total turnovers. Ellis’ turnaround has come predominantly from getting the ball in better spots and improved execution in his footwork near the basket. He may not be the classic Kansas power forward who can back down his man from 15 feet in, but his face-up game over the last two weeks has been effective enough to maintain his status as a weapon.

Alexander and Ellis are getting the ball in space at least partially because Kansas’ backcourt has also stepped up. Frank Mason has been the Jayhawks’ most indispensable asset all year long, but improved confidence in his ability to drive into the teeth of the Texas zone led to easy looks for the Jayhawks’ open scorers. Kelly Oubre is delivering on his potential with excellent perimeter shooting. Brannen Greene, who lost a brief role as a starter after missing a weight training session, is in the biggest shooting zone of his career, connecting on seven of his last 12 attempts from distance. On Saturday, he was inserted into the lineup and instantly made two threes and connected twice more later on as the Longhorn defense struggled to locate him.

Nearly a month into Big 12 play, Kansas is in the place to which it’s been accustomed ever since “Candy Shop” was the number one song in America. They’ve improved to the point where KenPom now projects the Jayhawks to win the Big 12 outright with a 13-5 record, and while Iowa State and Texas could make runs, both have yet to visit Allen Fieldhouse. West Virginia is off to nice start of its own, but the Mountaineers have benefited from a front-loaded schedule that included two games against TCU and one against Texas Tech. They, too, still have to visit Allen Fieldhouse (though, in fairness, the Jayhawks have yet to visit Morgantown). Oklahoma could get hot as well, but already sporting four conference losses, their margin of error is thin as well.

There’s plenty of basketball to be played, and the Jayhawks will likely another two or three games in conference play, but considering Self’s track record and the roll his team is on now, it’s a dicier proposition to pick anyone else to win the Big 12 this season.

Brian Goodman (987 Posts)

Brian Goodman a Big 12 microsite writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BSGoodman.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 26th, 2015 at 1:01 pm by Brian Goodman and is filed under big 12, microsites. Tagged: brannen greene, Cliff Alexander, feature, frank mason, kansas, myles turner, perry ellis, texas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.