Jayhawks men’s basketball season comes to a frustrating end

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The Jayhawks enter the Delta Center like they did the season, with great things in mind. But - like today’s game, the season came to a frustrating end.

“At the beginning of the season, we had high expectations because we’re a talented bunch, and sometimes it clicked, all the pieces fit together, and some games there were mishaps out there,” Hunter Dickinson said.

After winning 15 of their first 16 games, All-America guard Kevin McCullar injured his knee... The Jayhawks then lost 9 of their last 17 games.

“When you lose one of your best players in the country - our ‘alpha dog,’ whatever you want to call him, it’s going to be tough, but we still fought,” Dejuan Harris noted.

And as the Jayhawks left the court for the final time this season, the reality began to set in.

“It’s going to be hard - the last time we’ve played together,” Dickinson said.

“Got a bunch of new brothers this year - going to be lifelong friends. We went through a bunch of different stuff together,” Nick Timberlake told reporters.

“They’re everything - that’s what I’ll take away from this - just being in the locker room with these guys,” Parker Braun said.

So a season that began with such high hopes - and the #1 ranking - ends in frustration here in Salt Lake City.

“We’re Kansas - a lot of people expect us to do a lot of great things and big things,” said K.J. Adams. “It really sucks that we got to go back to Lawrence knowing that we really should have done more than what we did. So it’s sad, but hopefully, rebuild.”

“I think for the last month I’ve been thinking about last season, to be honest,” head coach Bill Self told reporters. “We could have done a much better job as a staff putting more guys out there who could play. So that’s something that I’ve thought about for a long time.”

His aim is to take KU back to the mountaintop.

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