Jayhawks may lack superstar, but little else

Kansas is like a swarm of bees, swat one and three others will sting you.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas won its last NCAA title with a one-man gang known as “Danny and the Miracles.”

Danny Manning is back and the Jayhawks are two wins away from another title, though there’s a completely different feel than the improbable run that happened 20 years ago this week.

For one, Manning is on the bench in a suit, offering words of encouragement as an assistant coach instead of willing a group of bit players to a national championship.

There’s also a completely different team dynamic. Kansas doesn’t have one star. It has a starting lineup full of players who can take over any game at any time and players coming off the bench who could start at just about any other school.

These Jayhawks are like a swarm of bees: swat one and three others will sting you.

“You never know who it is,” said forward Darnell Jackson, one of four Kansas players to average double-figure scoring this season. “We’ve got a lot of guys who bring a lot to the table and we don’t worry about who’s getting the credit or who’s not getting the credit. As long as we play as a team, we’re going to win.”

North Carolina has player of the year candidate Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson. Memphis relies on All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts and freshman sensation Derrick Rose. UCLA has a trio of potential first-round NBA picks in All-American Kevin Love and guards Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook.

Kansas? The Jayhawks couldn’t even get one player on the All-Big 12 first team. Kansas was an afterthought on the All-American team as well, with Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur making it as honorable mentions from a team that went 35-3.

But the thing about the Jayhawks is that there’s no one way to stop them.

Load up inside and the likes of Rush, Chalmers, Russell Robinson and Sherron Collins will light it up from the perimeter, each shooting 33 percent or better from beyond the arc. Stretch the defense and the rotation of Arthur, Jackson, Sasha Kaun and even freshman Cole Aldrich will bang around for points.

Kansas has had seven different leading scorers in games this season, and six players score at least 20 points. Rush is the leading scorer, averaging 13.1 points per game, but Arthur (12.7) and Chalmers (12.5) aren’t far behind.

At times, it’s almost if the Jayhawks are taking turns being the man.

“Our balance has been part of our success this year, most of our success this year,” Robinson said. “Having different guys step up each game has helped us win a lot of games, including the Davidson game.”