Wikipedia

2020–21 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team


The 2020–21 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, which was the Jayhawks' 123rd basketball season. The Jayhawks, members of the Big 12 Conference, played their home games at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. They were led by 18th year Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self. The Jayhawks finished the regular season 20–8 overall and 2nd in the Big 12. They were selected to the 2021 NCAA tournament as a 3 seed. They would be eliminated in the second round.

2020–21 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 16
APNo. 12
Record21–9 (12–6 Big 12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaAllen Fieldhouse
Seasons
2020–21 Big 12 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Baylor 13 – 1   .929 28 – 2   .933
No. 16 Kansas 12 – 6   .667 21 – 9   .700
No. 21 Texas † 11 – 6   .647 19 – 8   .704
No. 18 West Virginia 11 – 6   .647 19 – 10   .655
No. 19 Oklahoma State 11 – 7   .611 21 – 9   .700
No. 22 Texas Tech 9 – 8   .529 18 – 11   .621
Oklahoma 9 – 8   .529 16 – 11   .593
TCU 5 – 11   .313 12 – 14   .462
Kansas State 4 – 14   .222 9 – 20   .310
Iowa State 0 – 18   .000 2 – 22   .083
† 2021 Big 12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Season notes

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On November 30, 2020, the Jayhawks were ranked in the AP poll for the 223rd consecutive week, breaking UCLA's record of 222 from 1966 to 1980. They had been ranked in every weekly AP poll since February 3, 2009.[1] The Jayhawks went on an eight-game winning streak after losing their season opener. Following road losses to Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Oklahoma, the Jayhawks lost 3 straight games for the first time since the 2012–13 season and only the third time under Self. The streak is only the 9th losing streak of any length under Self. In total they lost five of seven games, which lead to them unranked being in the AP poll released on February 8, 2021, ending their ranked streak at 231.[2] After going 3–0 in games that week, they would re-enter the rankings at 23 on February 15, 2021. The Jayhawks were swept by Texas, which was only the 2nd time under Self they were swept in the regular season. They finished 12–6 in Big 12 play, which gave them a 2nd-place finish in the conference. It is the 21st consecutive season the Jayhawks finished in the top three of the Big 12. Additionally, each year of the Big 12's 25 years of existence, Kansas has finished in the top five of the conference. They were selected to the NCAA tournament, their NCAA record extending 31st consecutive tournament, as a 3 seed. The Jayhawks would lose in the second round to USC 51–85, their worst defeat in the NCAA Tournament and their 3rd worst defeat overall in program history. The loss was also the Jayhawks lowest points scored in the NCAA Tournament since the shot clock was introduced in the 1985–86 season. The Jayhawks also ended their streak of 15 consecutive seasons with 25 or more wins, additionally, their 21 wins was the team's lowest win total since the 1988-89 season. However, both win totals were due in part to the Jayhawks playing fewer non-conference games than normal due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Roster changes

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Graduation

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Below are players from the previous season who ran out of college eligibility.

Name Position
Udoka Azubuike C
Isaiah Moss G

Early draft entrants

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See also: 2020 NBA draft
Name Position Class
Devon Dotson[3] Guard Sophomore

2020 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Tyon Grant-Foster
G 		Kansas City, KS Indian Hills CC 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Oct 14, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Gethro Muscadin
C 		Gonaïves, Haiti Aspire Academy (KY) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Oct 17, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 80
Bryce Thompson
SG 		Tulsa, OK Booker T. Washington 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Nov 12, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 90
Latrell Josell
PG 		Chicago, IL Central 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Nov 14, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 77
Overall recruiting rankings:     247 Sports: 23     Rivals: 12      ESPN: 20 

Transfers

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Incoming

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Name Position Class Old School
Tyon Grant-Foster G JR Indian Hills CC

Outgoing

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Name Position Class New School
Elijah Elliott[4] G RS-SO Stephen F. Austin

COVID-19 Opt-outs

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Name Position Class
Silvio De Sousa F Sr

Roster

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2020–21 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 0 Marcus Garrett 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Dallas, TX
G 1 Tyon Grant-Foster 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Kansas City, KS
G 2 Christian Braun 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Burlington, KS
G 3 Dajuan Harris Jr. 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Fr Columbia, MO
G 4 Latrell Jossel   5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Chicago, IL
F 10 Jalen Wilson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Fr Denton, TX
G 12 Chris Teahan (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Leawood, KS
G/F 13 Tristan Enaruna (COVID) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Almere, Netherlands
G 20 Michael Jankovich (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Dallas, TX
G 24 Bryce Thompson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Tulsa, OK
G 30 Ochai Agbaji 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Kansas City, MO
C 33 David McCormack 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr Norfolk, VA
C 35 Gethro Muscadin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Gonaïves, Haiti
F 44 Mitch Lightfoot 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Sr Gilbert, AZ
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: March 22, 2021

Schedule and results

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COVID-19 impact

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Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports

Due to COVID-19, KU's annual Late Night in the Phog, the Jayhawks name for their Midnight Madness event, was done virtually. On October 13, Kansas and Missouri announced their scheduled renewal of their rivalry would be postponed a year and will begin play in 2021.[5] On October 26, the University of Kansas announced that about 1,500 fans would be allowed, about 10% capacity.[6] Despite the announcement saying that 1,500 fans would be allowed, the school has consistently reported attendance numbers of 2,500 for home games.

In total, nine games and the Wooden Classic, which the Jayhawks were scheduled to play in, were cancelled, and one game was postponed.

The Jayhawks finished the regular season without any known positive COVID-19 tests from players, coaches, or support staff. They would, however, have an unnamed player test positive prior to the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament. When Bill Self announced the positive test, he also confirmed that two other players had tested positive making a total of three positive tests. While it was not confirmed that they had tested positive, earlier that week Tristin Enaruna and David McCormack and been put in the COVID protocol after being exposed to it.

Schedule

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All games listed below had limited or no attendance due to the pandemic.

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular Season
November 26, 2020*
12:30 pm, FOX 		No. 6 vs. No. 1 Gonzaga
Quicken Loans Fort Myers Tip-Off 		L 90–102  0–1
  22 – Garrett   6 – McCormack   4 – Agbaji  Suncoast Credit Union Arena (175)
Fort Myers, FL
November 27, 2020*
1:00 pm, FS1 		No. 6 vs. Saint Joseph's
Quicken Loans Fort Myers Tip-Off 		W 94–72  1–1
  30 – Braun   9 – Braun   5 – Harris  Suncoast Credit Union Arena (310)
Fort Myers, FL
December 1, 2020*
8:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 7 vs. No. 20 Kentucky
Champions Classic 		W 65–62  2–1
  23 – Wilson   12 – Braun   5 – Harris  Bankers Life Fieldhouse (0)
Indianapolis, IN
December 3, 2020*
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		No. 7 Washburn W 89–54  3–1
  17 – McCormack   6 – Tied   5 – Garrett  Allen Fieldhouse (0)
Lawrence, KS
December 5, 2020*
3:00 pm, ESPN+ 		No. 7 North Dakota State W 65–61  4–1
  14 – Wilson   14 – Wilson   4 – Garrett  Allen Fieldhouse (0)
Lawrence, KS
December 8, 2020*
4:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 5 No. 8 Creighton
Big East–Big 12 Alliance 		W 73–72  5–1
  23 – Wilson   10 – Wilson   6 – Braun  Allen Fieldhouse (2,500)
Lawrence, KS
December 11, 2020*
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 5 Omaha W 95–50  6–1
  18 – Agbaji   11 – McCormack   8 – Garrett  Allen Fieldhouse (2,500)
Lawrence, KS
December 13, 2020*
1:00 pm, ESPN+ 		No. 5 Tarleton State Cancelled due to a Tarleton State player testing positive for COVID-19 Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
December 17, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 5 at No. 14 Texas Tech W 58–57  7–1
(1–0) 		 23 – Agbaji   10 – Tied   4 – Garrett  United Supermarkets Arena (4,250)
Lubbock, TX
December 22, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 3 No. 7 West Virginia W 79–65  8–1
(2–0) 		 22 – Braun   10 – McCormack   7 – Braun  Allen Fieldhouse (2,500)
Lawrence, KS
January 2, 2021
11:00 a.m., ESPN2 		No. 3 No. 8 Texas L 59–84  8–2
(2–1) 		 10 – Wilson   7 – Wilson   6 – Braun  Allen Fieldhouse (2,500)
Lawrence, KS
January 5, 2021
9:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 6 at TCU W 93–64  9–2
(3–1) 		 20 – McCormack   8 – Tied   7 – Harris  Schollmaier Arena (1,894)
Fort Worth, TX
January 9, 2021
3:30 p.m., CBS 		No. 6 Oklahoma W 63–59  10–2
(4–1) 		 15 – McCormack   11 – Wilson   4 – Garrett  Allen Fieldhouse (2,500)
Lawrence, KS
January 12, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 6 at Oklahoma State L 70–75  10–3
(4–2) 		 24 – McCormack   12 – McCormack   3 – Wilson  Gallagher-Iba Arena (3,350)
Stillwater, OK
January 16, 2021
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 6 Iowa State Postponed to February 11 due to COVID-19 issues at Iowa State Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
January 18, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 9 at No. 2 Baylor L 69–77  10–4
(4–3) 		 17 – Braun   5 – Wilson   8 – Garrett  Ferrell Center (2,350)
Waco, TX
January 23, 2021
11:00 a.m., ESPN 		No. 9 at Oklahoma L 68–75  10–5
(4–4) 		 21 – Garrett   12 – Garrett   4 – Tied  Lloyd Noble Center (2,350)
Norman, OK
January 28, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 15 TCU W 59–51  11–5
(5–4) 		 15 – McCormack   7 – Garrett   4 – Agbaji  Allen Fieldhouse (2,500)
Lawrence, KS
January 30, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 15 at No. 18 Tennessee
Big 12/SEC Challenge 		L 61–80  11–6
  17 – McCormack   9 – Wilson   5 – Wilson  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
February 2, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 23 Kansas State
Sunflower Showdown 		W 74–51  12–6
(6–4) 		 18 – Tied   10 – McCormack   5 – Tied  Allen Fieldhouse (2,500)
Lawrence, KS
February 6, 2021
1:00 p.m., CBS 		No. 23 at No. 17 West Virginia L 79–91  12–7
(6–5) 		 18 – Garrett   14 – Wilson   4 – Wilson  WVU Coliseum (1,500)
Morgantown, WV
February 8, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 23 Oklahoma State W 78–66  13–7
(7–5) 		 23 – McCormack   11 – Wilson   4 – Garrett  Allen Fieldhouse (2,500)
Lawrence, KS
February 11, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN 		Iowa State W 97–64  14–7
(8–5) 		 19 – Agbaji   11 – Wilson   6 – Braun  Allen Fieldhouse (2,500)
Lawrence, KS
February 13, 2021
2:00 p.m., ABC 		at Iowa State W 64–50  15–7
(9–5) 		 22 – Wilson   10 – Wilson   5 – Garrett  Hilton Coliseum (1,320)
Ames, IA
February 17, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 23 at Kansas State
Sunflower Showdown 		W 59–41  16–7
(10–5) 		 14 – Garrett   9 – Wilson   2 – Tied  Bramlage Coliseum (1,248)
Manhattan, KS
February 20, 2021
1:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 23 No. 15 Texas Tech W 67–61  17–7
(11–5) 		 17 – McCormack   11 – Wilson   5 – Garrett  Allen Fieldhouse (2,500)
Lawrence, KS
February 23, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 17 at No. 14 Texas L 72–75 OT 17–8
(11–6) 		 17 – Agbaji   12 – Wilson   3 – Tied  Frank Erwin Center (2,482)
Austin, TX
February 27, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 17 No. 2 Baylor W 71–58  18–8
(12–6) 		 20 – McCormack   13 – Wilson   4 – Agbaji  Allen Fieldhouse (2,600)
Lawrence, KS
March 4, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 13 UTEP W 67–62  19–8
  19 – Agbaji   10 – McCormack   5 – Garrett  Allen Fieldhouse (2,600)
Lawrence, KS
Big 12 Tournament
March 11, 2021
5:30 pm, ESPN 		(2) No. 11 vs. (7) No. 25 Oklahoma
Quarterfinals 		W 69–62  20–8
  26 – Agbaji   9 – Wilson   4 – Garrett  T-Mobile Center (3,510)
Kansas City, MO
March 12, 2021
8:30 pm, ESPN2 		(2) No. 11 vs. (3) No. 13 Texas
Semifinals 		Cancelled because Kansas withdrew from tournament due to a player who tested positive for COVID-19[7] T-Mobile Center 
Kansas City, MO
NCAA tournament
March 20, 2021*
12:15 pm, TBS 		(3 W) No. 12 vs. (14 W) Eastern Washington
First Round 		W 93–84  21–8
  23 – Garrett   9 – McCormack   4 – Harris  Indiana Farmers Coliseum (961)
Indianapolis, IN
March 22, 2021*
8:40 pm, CBS 		(3 W) No. 12 vs. (6 W) No. 23 USC
Second Round 		L 51–85  21–9
  15 – Garrett   6 – Garrett   4 – Tied  Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,927)
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.
All times are in Central Time.

†Attendance not announced

Rankings

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See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
AP6755336691523RV2317131112Not released
Coaches55*55446791822RV241914121116

*No rankings released

References

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  1. ^ "Kansas Sets Record for Consecutive Rankings in the Associated Press Poll". KUAthletics.com. November 30, 2020.
  2. ^ "Kansas Jayhawks drop out of AP Top 25 for first time in 12 years". ESPN.com. February 8, 2021.
  3. ^ "Kansas G Devon Dotson Declares for NBA Draft". SI.com.
  4. ^ "KU walk-on Elijah Elliott has entered name into transfer portal". KUSports.com.
  5. ^ "Kansas Athletics Announces Border Showdown Rivalry Postponed to 2021-22 Season". KUAthletics.com. October 13, 2020.
  6. ^ "KU announces 2020-21 schedule; will allow fans at Allen Fieldhouse". KSHB.com. October 26, 2020.
  7. ^ "Kansas vs. Texas Big 12 Championship Semifinal Game Has Been Canceled". big12sports.com. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
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