College Hoops Today: Kansas Win Streak Snapped

This week, a hard foul led to a scrum that saw six players ejected from the St. John’s-Providence game; JT Toppin put up a masterclass as Texas Tech upset No. 1 Arizona; and things just keep spiralling for the Memphis Tigers, who have now suspended two players for violating team rules. Other college basketball stories we’re tracking include…

Melvin Council Jr. Picks Up the Offense

The last time we checked in on the Kansas Jayhawks, they were regressing, and wound up losing 11 games that season – their highest since 1988-89. Last season, things got even worse as Kansas won just 21 of 34, but the Jayhawks have bounced back this season.

In fact, the school had won eight straight games (including beating No. 1 Arizona) to move to 19-5 (9-2 in the Big 12) before getting smoked 74-56 at Iowa State on Valentine’s Day. That loss had a payback feeling considering just over a month earlier the Jayhawks had beaten the Cyclones by 21 at home.

In Saturday’s loss, Kansas senior guard Melvin Council Jr. – the team’s leading assist and steal man – came through with another big scoring game, piling up 15 points (on 6-of-11 shooting) with five boards, three treys and a pair of steals. He’s now scored 38 points over the last two games combined while pulling down five or more rebounds in each of the last seven. Oh, and he hit this dagger to clinch the win over the Wildcats…

Council, playing for his third NCAA school in three seasons (Wagner and St. Bonaventure; and Juco ball in the two previous seasons), has been a full-time starter in each of the last two seasons, but isn’t seeing quite as much PT on deeper Kansas squad. His touches are down for the second straight season, but he’s never shot it better from downtown (although it wasn’t a big hurdle to top here) and is logging more assists than ever.

A 6’4” native of Rochester, N.Y., Council has developed into a real fan fave since landing in Lawrence, and there’s still a chance he could be back next season. And while he’s become a better shooter from deep as mentioned, he still doesn’t have the kind of outside game that would make him an NBA draft prospect. Many see Council as a Tyshawn Taylor type, another Kansas product who wound playing 61 games in the NBA with Brooklyn last decade.

What Council does bring in droves is energy, leadership and an ability to drive the ball to the bucket and finish. But his outside and mid-range iso game are both lacking, although he could still carve out an NBA job as a combo guard off the bench.

Villanova Is Back

Back in 2022-23 – the first season of the Kyle Nepture era — the Villanova Wildcats finished just .500 and missed the NCAA Tourney for the first time in three years and just the second time in 11 years. ‘Nova showed modest improvement the following season (16 losses in 34 games), more in 2024-25 (21-15) and this season has been a real breakthrough at 20-5, including a current five-game win streak.

They remain unranked right now, and at 11-3 in Big East play are technically still alive but a massive longshot to win the regular season title (currently +10000 as per FanDuel).

In Saturday’s win over Creighton, it was leading rebounder Duke Brennan who stepped up offensively. With 21 points (including a team-best 12 in the first half), the senior centre enjoyed his first 20+ game in over two months, adding a dozen boards, two assists and one steal while shooting 8-of-9 from the field and 5-for-8 from the line.

Brennan has played at least 32 minutes in four straight games, recording double-doubles in three of them and just missing one in the fourth. He began his career at Arizona State before transferring to Grand Canyon for his sophomore and junior seasons and then switched again this season to Villanova.

Playing against higher competition in the Big East has brought out the best in Brennan as he’s kept improving and is sinking more buckets this season while also accumulating more points from the free throw line. The Arizona native’s block numbers have bounced back a bit, but for a 6’10” dude that’s not a big part of his game.

Brennan isn’t an NBA draft candidate, but given that he’s currently tied for seventh in the country in rebounding, you’d have to think he’ll get a look as an UDFA at Summer League.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

Belgian-born guitarist Jean Reinhardt was better known to the world as Django Reinhardt, the father of Gypsy jazz. In 1947, he recorded “Django’s Blues,” a tune which popped up on the 2005 compilation album Swing De Paris.