Landen Lucas named to SI's "All-Glue" team

After returning to Lawrence, an exasperated Self met with the four other starters and asked who they should join them. Their answer was unanimous: They wanted Lucas. "They all felt that Landen understood everything we were trying to do," Self says. "So that's when I decided to start him."

It's also when Kansas started winning again. The Jayhawks have lost just once with Lucas in the starting lineup. His size and rebounding ability have been a major boon, but mostly it's the way he thinks about the game that has made a difference. "We're a much smarter team when he's in there because he's as bright a player as we have," Self says. "He's not a naturally gifted scorer, but he understands how to use angles, how to set a fade screen late in the clock to get a guy a shot. He just knows how to play."