The season is far from over, but Bill Self has his short-handed team playing impeccable team basketball. KU’s lack of depth forces all of the starters to play close to 30 minutes per game; this could cause too much wear and tear toward the end of the season.

The postseason conference tournament is a particular disadvantage for a shallow team like KU. Playing two or three tough games just a few days before the NCAA Tournament will be a distinct disadvantage for this Kansas team.

Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson have played superb basketball for the Jayhawks, but it’s Jeff Withey’s improvement that has made the biggest difference since the semester break. Withey’s stamina and overall play have both shown significant progress.

Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford complete the starting five; they both play exceptional defense and have had some outstanding offensive outings. Johnson is starting to make some offensive drives to the basket, which is taking some of the burden off Taylor.

KU’s starting five has spent so much time playing together during games and practices that they can anticipate the moves of their teammates on offense and defense. Coach Self has his team playing big-time basketball and each player knows his role and stays within that role.

The guess here is that KU will be 19-3 when the Jayhawks journey, for the last time, to friendly Columbia to play Missouri on February 4. Round and round it goes; where it stops, nobody knows.

If anyone had suggested three months ago that Charlie Weis and Dave Campo would be on Kansas University’s campus in January and in charge of the Jayhawks’ football program—that person would have been subject to ridicule. This remarkable turn of events has propelled KU football from the bottom of the futility pit to being featured on prominent sports pages across the nation.

Two KU administrators are primarily responsible for this amazing transformation and they’ve received scant credit or praise from Kansas fans: Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little was instrumental in the hiring of Athletic Director Sheahon Zenger and she has been wise enough to let him do his job. And Zenger chose to avoid the well-traveled road and followed his own vision on how to raise the Jayhawks from the dregs of college football.

Coach Weis hasn’t won a game yet, but enthusiasm and anticipation are at levels not seen at Kansas for many years. The guess here is that Weis and his NFL-connected coaching staff will turn KU’s program around much quicker than expected. Chancellor Gray-Little and AD Zenger deserve most of the credit for a remarkable achievement in giving Kansas football a chance to excel.

The national letter-of-intent day for football is coming up fast—Wednesday, February 1. This recruiting class will be more interesting than most because of KU’s late entry in the process.

K-State’s Bill Snyder will probably sign recruits that are ranked toward the bottom of the Big 12 by the so-called experts. It’s amazing how Snyder can keep whipping Texas and a number of the other big names with his average recruiting classes. Could it be that the pundits don’t know what they’re talking and writing about?

Kansas State’s basketball team has a crackerjack starting lineup—a surprise in every game. Coach Frank Martin seldom sends the same starting five out to start back-to-back games; regardless, Martin’s method has worked.

Martin has been consistent in his handling of three players who have become regular starters on his team—Will Spradling, Rodney McGruder, and Jamar Samuels. McGruder has been sensational since the semester break, leading K-State on offense and playing stellar defense. Spradling and Samuels have been playing fundamentally sound basketball on offense and defense.

Last Saturday K-State posted their first win over Oklahoma State in Stillwater since 1993. In doing so, the Wildcats are poised to move their record to 16-4 if they win their next two games: at Texas Tech (Jan. 25) and a home game on Saturday (Jan. 28) against Oklahoma. K-State should win both of those games and will be well on their way to at least 20-22 wins during the regular season. That will be sufficient to gain an invitation to the NCAA Tournament.

Martin suspended center Jordan Henriquez before the O-State game, but don’t expect it to last for long. K-State needs Henriquez in the pivot on offense and defense; without him, the Wildcats are vulnerable against bigger teams.

Frank Martin’s style is hard to understand compared to other coaches and teams, but his won and lost record since he became K-State’s head coach speaks for itself.