WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT BILL SELF'S WINTER COLLECTION

With the Kansas Jayhawks ranked No. 1 to begin the season by a dominant margin, how good of a season does KU need to have for fans to consider it a success?

Do the Jayhawks actually have to live up to their ranking and win their second national championship in three years? Will a trip to the Final Four in Indianapolis be enough? What about a sixth straight Big 12 title? An undefeated regular season? All of the above?

KU fans have hardly been able to contain themselves since Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich announced that they were staying put and the Henry brothers, Xavier and C.J., switched their loyalty from Memphis to Kansas. I suspect that every fan would be devastated by a loss in the NCAA Tournament before the Final Four and that there will also be a large group who would think Bill Self has blown it if KU doesn't win it all. Never mind that the latter fans would be totally irrational.

Despite KU's loaded roster, led by Associated Press preseason All-Americans Collins and Aldrich, this is not as much of a sure thing as fans would like to believe. The Jayhawks do appear to be the deepest and most talented team in the country, but there is still a considerable amount of immaturity and inexperience that they will have to fight through as the season goes on. Don't expect this team to go undefeated in nonconference play; it's not likely to happen.

In the backcourt, Collins is the only player with more than a year of significant playing time. Tyshawn Taylor can be too careless with the ball, Xavier Henry has never played Self's style of defense, and Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed are solid role players. Freshman Elijah Johnson will contribute, but he's still raw.

In the frontcourt, Aldrich will average a double-double, but will he get enough touches? KU's guards had a tendency last season to forget about him. That can't happen this year. Everything should move through Aldrich, the Jayhawks' ultimate luxury as a true center.

Marcus and Markieff Morris look like they're going to be more aggressive inside, but they still need to prove they can finish consistently. Freshman Thomas Robinson has a great motor, but, like Johnson, is raw. Redshirt freshman center Jeff Withey will have to fight for time after coming back from a knee injury and missing the first half of the season. He may struggle to impact the game right away.

All that said, this is still the best team in the country in November. And come March, expect KU to plow through regional sites in Oklahoma City and St. Louis as the No. 1 overall seed on the way to Indy. Would that be enough? Check back in early April.

—J. Brady McCollough

BONNIE BING SAYS...

Observing the Jayhawks' home uniforms reveals the decision makers at KU way back when thought Betsy Ross had the right idea.

Red (OK, crimson), white and blue.

The white uniforms trimmed in crimson and blue are detailed with an American flag, blue and red stripes. The vertical stripes on the shorts give an elongated illusion to the silhouette, especially since the stripe extends up the side of the torso of the jersey.

Blue uniforms with crimson stripes also are very flattering.

The shorts style that ranges in length from at-the-knee to below-the-knee to mid-calf on the shorter players remains the most popular style carrying over from season to season.