"What's wrong with Kansas?"

Here in the heartland, few things are as sure a bet as Kansas winning in basketball.  A three-game losing streak is thus cause for a meltdown within the Jayhawk Nation, and reason for gloating and tsk-tsking by local rivals.  "What's wrong with your team?"  "Are you in mourning?"  I couldn't even get away from the recent misfortunes of my team while attending church this morning.

I never want to take for granted the unprecedented success of my Jayhawks, but it's hard not to when one considers the level of success of this program:

- Best winning percentage in the nation, 1990-2010:  .774., followed next by Duke, .771; North Carolina, .765; Kentucky, .761; and Syracuse, .730.
- Longest streak of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances:  23, followed next by Duke at 17.
- Eight consecutive conference titles.
- A combined 67-10 record for the 2010-2011/2011-2012 seasons, for a .870 winning percentage.
- A 69 game home winning streak, starting in 2007, that ended on January 22, 2011, the day after Thomas Robinson's mother was found dead.  The program then had a 34 game home winning streak which ended against Oklahoma State on February 2.  That means that Kansas has won 103 of its last 105 home games headed into tomorrow's Big Monday matchup versus Kansas State.

The prolonged excellence of this program has made these three losses startling.  But, really, is anyone who closely follows this team surprised?  One, no team can continue to win at this clip.  And, two, the Jayhawks are missing several key pieces which have distinguished their better teams:

- It's been over-reported, but it's true--Kansas does not have a premier point guard on its roster.  Elijah Johnson is playing out of position and insider reports out of Lawrence would indicate that Johnson may not be fully recovered from leg injury problems.  Let's also point out that head coach Bill Self has struck out on some high profile PG recruits and was not able to backfill the vacancy left by Tyshawn Taylor's departure after last year's national championship game.

- This Kansas team does not have a player, or players, who have exhibited the mean streak of Thomas Robinson, Taylor, the Morris twins or Sherron Collins.  Those players, at various times in their career, took over games not only with their skill but also with their attitude.

- Highly touted recruit Perry Ellis has struggled to adapt to the college game.  And, fellow bench mates Naadir Tharpe and Jamari Traylor have been inconsistent, at best.  Solid bench play was an earmark of Self's past five or six teams.

What will happen tomorrow night in Allen Fieldhouse?  Well, let's not discount the work that Bruce Weber has done in Manhattan but it's hard to imagine KU losing four straight games--something that hasn't happened since 1989.  The last time KU lost three straight was in 2005 and the game coming out of that streak was the classic 81-79 Jayhawk victory over Oklahoma State.

One thing's for sure--the KU losses, combined with Kansas State's ascension into first place in the Big 12, has suddenly elevated this game and this rivalry back into the national spotlight.  And, the rest of the league is watching, wondering if Superman has suddenly been dealt a dose of Kryptonite.