Hunter Dickinson calls Kansas 'one of the more volatile teams' in college basketball

Usually among the traditional bluebloods vying for a Top 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Kansas has instead been one of college basketball’s most erratic teams this season.

And while the inconsistent Jayhawks are still expected to make their 36th straight appearance in this year’s March Madness, it’s come with some serious volatility according to senior big man Hunter Dickinson.

“I’d say we’re probably one of the more volatile teams in the country,” Dickinson said following Thursday’s 88-77 loss to Arizona in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. “When you look at it, we’ve played with the best in the country and been neck-and-neck with them and beat some of them. And then we’ve also been neck-and-neck with a lot of average teams. So I think it just depends on which Kansas team shows up.”

Case-in-point, Kansas opened the 2024-25 season by winning its first seven consecutive games with non-conference victories over fellow blueblood programs North Carolina (92-89), No. 7 Michigan State (77-69) and No. 1 Duke (75-72).

But since rallying from a loss to West Virginia in their Big 12 opener to win its next three straight conference games to improve to 12-3 overall and 3-1 in Big 12 play, the Jayhawks haven’t won more than two consecutive games the rest of the season. In fact, beginning with a 74-57 loss at then-No. 2 Iowa State, Kansas has gone an eerily consistent 9-9 over its next 18 games, including going 1-1 in this week’s Big 12 Tournament from Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center.

Now, as Dickinson and his Jayhawk teammates turn the page towards playing their best in the upcoming 2025 NCAA Tournament, the 7-foot-2 senior knows the win-or-go home mentality of March Madness could ultimattely simplify things for both himself and Kansas overall.

“The blessing and the curse about these next couple of games is you only have to be great for 40 minutes, and then you get another 40 minutes,” Dickinson concluded. “And I think that starts with me. I can’t go out there and play like I did today, or we’re going to go home early. So I’ve got to bring it every game.”

Bill Self calls for Kansas players to take more responsibility in games

Bill Self called for his Kansas players to take more responsibility in games, following the Jayhawks loss in the Big 12 Tournament.

Self echoed comments made by star Hunter Dickinson. That included saying the team has to be professionals in settings like this.

But perhaps on the advice of Self, the Jayhawks could muster a little March magic.

“I actually think Hunter hit right on the point,” Self said postgame. “The thing that’s — what he said is true. What he says, take more responsibility, that stuff, it’s the same with every one of our starters. Dajuan has got to feel the same way. Zeke’s got to feel the same way. KJ has to feel the same way. We don’t have the depth not to feel the same way, which I think makes our team look more volatile, because when one of those guys aren’t there we don’t have guys off the bench and replace that.

“So I think Hunt is right on the point, but I think that everybody need to take that ownership, what Hunt is talking about, because that’s just the way it is this year. There is just no other way that we’re going to be this year.”

— On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this report.