If you’re a Kansas fan scrolling through college hoops talk this week, Jon Rothstein probably gave you something to raise an eyebrow at. The CBS Sports insider, who watches more basketball than most of us combined, dropped a line Tuesday that wasn’t exactly glowing when it came to the Jayhawks. He said, “Bill Self has done a masterful coaching job, but Kansas still looks like the sixth-best team in a loaded Big 12.”
Now, this isn’t some massive overreaction or a hot take built for clicks. Rothstein’s been pretty steady with his opinions, and he’s just calling it how he sees it through the first month or so of the season. Kansas is sitting at 8-2 and has already picked up some solid wins, but there’s been a noticeable lack of dominance that we’ve come to expect from Self’s teams. They’re still figuring some stuff out, especially on the offensive side.
To be fair, Rothstein also acknowledged the job Self is doing with this year’s roster. It’s not a knock on his coaching. In fact, he called it “masterful,” which says plenty about how much respect he has for the guy. But at the same time, it’s clear he sees five other teams in the Big 12 right now that are playing more complete basketball.
With teams like Iowa State, Houston, Arizona, Texas Tech, and BYU looking sharp early, Kansas is having to fight a little harder to stand out. That’s not to say they won’t get it together; they usually do, but right now, Rothstein doesn’t have as much confidence in them, especially with Darryn Peterson’s confusing health saga.
Kansas fans won’t love hearing that, but it’s not the end of the world either. Conference play hasn’t even started yet. There’s still a lot of ball left, and a Bill Self-coached team tends to hit its stride when it matters most. But for now, Rothstein has them at sixth, and that’s where the conversation stands.
