3 Quick Things for KU Hoops

• ⏰ Quick Hearing on bench minutes 

• 👎 Revealing stat for KU’s defense

• 😯 2025’s No. 1 PG visiting

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EVERYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS BASED UPON WHAT I AM HEARING FROM PEOPLE I TRUST. PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR FACT OR FOR ACTUAL JOURNALISM, WHICH HAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS THAT I HAVE NOT ADHERED TO. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT.

Quick Hearing on KU’s Bench Minutes

KU’s bench saw an uptick in playing time vs. Baylor, and I’ve Heard it was by design. My understanding is that KU’s bench platooning was part of an effort to get everyone more minutes in a high-pressure environment ahead of March Madness.

To me, this signals an understanding that Big 12 play doesn’t quite mean as much as usual for KU right now. The Jayhawks aren’t going to win the conference, so they’re trying to get everyone more comfortable for postseason play.

I’d expect KU’s bench to once again get an extended chance away from Allen Fieldhouse when it closes the regular season at Houston on Saturday.

I’m Sorry in Advance…

Nearly one month ago, a sharp observation from KUHearings Discord member ‘Zaysai’ sparked me to go on a deep dive. Zaysai, a #CertifiedBallKnower, pointed out what appeared to be a significant and specific gap in KU’s defense this year.

Zaysai was right. The Jayhawks are one of the worst teams in the country at defending out-of-bounds plays. They rank No. 330 out of 362 schools on out-of-bounds defense, per Synergy Sports.

To me, the issue represents certain issues with the team that aren’t easily spotted: Struggling with scouting reports, missing assignments, and blowing rotations. All of these collectively contribute to defensive lapses.

• Big 12 wins: KU allows 6.9 out-of-bounds points per game.

• Big 12 losses: KU allows 12.6 out-of-bounds points per game.

These out-of-bounds defensive spots matter. It killed Kansas in the loss to Baylor. The Bears made five of their seven threes on out-of-bounds plays against Kansas and scored 21 points total.

 Here are some of the looks KU gave up 👇.

You and I both know this isn’t normal for Kansas basketball. Bill Self teams typically come out ahead in these spots. This is KU’s only team to have below-average or worse ratings for both baseline and sideline out-of-bounds defense dating back to the 2005-06 season, which is as far back as Synergy goes.

Below are the previous five seasons, including their Synergy rating, which makes things easier to understand. And I’ll leave it there because if I keep going it’s gonna piss both you and me off 😅.

Going forward, watching their out-of-bounds defense is one way to track if the team starts executing at a higher level.

2025’s No. 1 PG Visiting the Jayhawks

Darius Acuff, the top-ranked PG in the 2025 class, is visiting KU for the Kansas State game.

The 6’3” PG out of the IMG Academy is 247Sports’ No. 4 overall player in 2025. He’s taken visits to Kentucky and Michigan as well. I’m hoping to have more on Acuff following his visit.

You can watch his highlights below 👇

🏀 Iowa brought out KU star Lynette Woodard for an ovation as Caitlyn Clark passed Pete Maravich for the NCAA scoring record.

🏈 KU OL Dominick Puni had a solid NFL Combine. You can watch his 40-time here.. Also, check out Colts GM Chris Ballard (father of KU QB Cole Ballard) rocking the KU swag.

🏀 Check out the current projected Big 12 Tournament bracket. The Jayhawks have never been lower than a 5 seed…