Kansas Jayhawks star Hunter Dickinson still believes his team has what it takes to make a national championship run.
The preseason No. 1 team hasn’t been perfect this season as they enter conference tournament play with a 20-11 record. The Jayhawks are unranked for the first time after 80 consecutive weeks being ranked.
However, they still have one of the top players in the two-time All-American in Dickinson and one of the best coaches in the country in Bill Self.
”Yeah, I feel like if any of my teammates or any other fans need confidence, they should go watch that Duke game in November,” Dickinson told Basketball Insiders in an exclusive interview when asked if the Jayhawks can still win a national championship. “Obviously, it was a couple months ago, and teams are way different now. But if you’re able to beat one of the best teams in the country in a neutral site like that, you should always have faith in yourself.”
The 7-foot-2 senior big man spoke just prior to playing his final home game at Allen Fieldhouse, turning in a huge performance in an 83-76 win over the No. 24-ranked Arizona Wildcats. Dickinson scored a season-high 33 points on 15-of-23 from the field (65.2%) and grabbed 10 rebounds in the win.
Dickinson: Jayhawks Have ‘Low Floor, But Really High Ceiling’
While it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the college basketball powerhouse, they’ve had wins over ranked teams such as the Duke Blue Devils, Iowa State Cyclones and now Arizona. That combined with the veteran experience on the team gives hope that the Jayhawks can make a run during March Madness despite their less-than-impressive record.
”We’ve beaten some of the best teams in the country,” says Dickinson. “We’ve lost to some lesser teams. I feel like that says we have a low floor, but we also have a really high ceiling. That’s kind of what you need in March Madness. You need to have a high ceiling to be able to reach the expectations of winning a national championship.”
When asked what the Jayhawks need to improve on before the tournament begins, Dickinson said defending the three-point line is the key. Kansas is actually a very efficient defensive unit when it comes to defending the three-point line, ranking 14th while allowing just a 30.0% shooting percentage from beyond the arc. However, they ranked 184th in the country, allowing 7.6 three-point makes per game.
”I would say defending the three point line is a big thing that we need to be able to do,” says Dickinson. “March Madness, teams can get hot and they really get hot from the three-point line. I think guarding the three-point line and then offensively just continuing to share the ball.
“ Stuff like that I think will be super huge for us,” Dickinson continues to say. “Come March Madness, if we do those two things, play with energy, play with passion, I think we’ll put ourselves in a good position every game.”
The fifth-year senior is no stranger to the NCAA tournament, having led his previous college program, the Michigan Wolverines, to a Sweet 16 appearance and an Elite 8 bid. He also led the Jayhawks to the second round last season. That was obviously a disappointing finish considering Kansas also entered last season as the preseason No. 1-ranked team.
Dickinson: Championship Run Would Improve Draft Stock
While expectations aren’t as high entering this tournament considering the Jayhawks are unranked and sixth in the Big 12 conference standings, he’s still aiming to finish his collegiate career with a National Championship.
Dickinson says winning a national championship will only improve his draft stock before he enters the NBA Draft.
“I would say the key objective is to obviously win a national championship,” says Dickinson. “To be able to showcase yourself as a winner at the highest level in college basketball always bodes well for a good professional career.”
While the 24-year-old’s goal is to still win his first national championship, he’s looking to also improve his skill set before embarking on his pro career. The 7-foot-2 center is known for his old-school post play, scoring the majority of his points in the paint. However, he does have a mid-range jump shot in his arsenal.
The key will be improving his three-point shot, something that Dickinson still struggles with deep into his college career. After shooting just four three-point attempts during his freshman season — he made zero — he actually improved his three-point shot to 42.1% during the 2022-23 season with the Wolverines. His three-point efficiency declined, but remained steady at 35.4% last season.
However, that level of efficiency has dipped to 20.9% this season as he’s converted just nine treys on 43 attempts.
”Just continue to improve my three-point shot,” says Dickinson on what he needs to improve on. “Having a down year, shooting the ball. My fix for that is just staying in the gym, continuing to work as hard as I can on my shot, trying to improve that as much as I can.
“I think defensively just continuing to be a rim protector in the paint, trying to alter as many shots, block as many shots as I can,” Dickinson continues to say. “Trying to really help my teammates out if they get driven and be that force down there for my team.”
Dickinson, who is currently projected to either be a second-round pick or go undrafted despite his prolific collegiate career, says improving his three-point shot and going out with a National Championship would “definitely” improve his draft stock.
“Those two things would definitely help the draft stock,” says Dickinson.
