The weakness for Memphis is a strength for Kansas

Memphis is a talented team.

It wouldn't surprise me if they had three guys -- Wesley Witherspoon, Will Barton, and Joe Jackson -- eventually get picked in the first round of the NBA Draft. The rest of their roster is rounded out with guys that were in or around most top 100 lists.

But Memphis is unbelievably young and inexperienced.

They aren't just inexperienced at the college level, they are inexperienced playing with each other. Only one starter played for Memphis last season. Only one of the Tiger's top three players off the bench wore a Tiger uniform in 2009-2010.

Five of those six newcomers are freshmen.

Tonight, that inexperience really shined through.


Josh Pastner really has his work cut out for him this season. As talented as Memphis is, they really have no understanding of how to play basketball. The quick threes off of one pass. The headlong drives into three defenders. The 2-on-1 and 4-on-2 fast breaks that resulted in the man with the ball going 1-on-1 to the rim. This group doesn't box out. This group is lazy defensively.

Simply put, this team just does not know how to play a team brand of basketball.

Kansas took advantage of that. They hit the offensive glass. They burned the Tigers in transition. They executed their sets offensively. And its what led to the Jayhawks 81-68 win in the opener of the Jimmy V Classic.

The Jayhawks may be the exact opposite of Memphis. They move the ball around as well as any team in the country. They look for the best shot for the team, not the best shot for any individual player. Its why Kansas has been able to shoot over 56% from the floor on the season.

But Kansas has their own problems that need to be addressed, and the addition of Josh Selby won't necessarily be the answer to either.

Perhaps the biggest issue that Kansas has is defending opposing front court. Against Arizona, Derrick Williams went for 27 points and 9 boards despite spending much of the game in foul trouble. UCLA's massive freshman Joshua Smith had his best game of the season against the Jayhawks, establishing position wherever he wanted it when posting up and dominating the Jayhawks on the offensive glass.

It wasn't as much of a problem against Memphis, who doesn't have a huge front line. But the Morris twins are both finesse combo-forwards, not back-to-the-basket bruisers. Thomas Robinson is a freakish athlete, but freakish athleticism only gets you so far if you don't understand how to use it. Ask Memphis.

The other issue is the Jayhawks have a tendency to be a bit sloppy with the ball. Bill Self put it perfectly after the game:

"We've got a fun team, but we're wild," Self said. "We've got to harness some of that. Josh is wild, too, so he's going to fit right in."

They struggled initially when Memphis threw on their press, making some lazy passes and nonchalantly attacking the defense. Tonight, it was 22 turnovers leading to 29 Memphis points that kept the Jayhawks from pulling away earlier than they did.

Teaming Selby in the back court with Tyshawn Taylor and company should help, as it provides another ball handler, but Selby isn't exactly known as a possession point guard.

Self brought him in because he is a dynamic scorer, a guy he thought would fill Sherron Collins' shoes.

Kansas is a selfless team. Their ball movement is a thing of beauty to watch. Part of the reason they shoot over 56% from the floor is that they average nearly 21 assists per game.

As much as Selby's addition will help Kansas handling the ball, the key for the Jayhawks is going to be continuing to play team basketball once he is on the court.