photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Lagerald Vick (2) and Kansas guard Devonte' Graham (4) slap hands during the first half, Thursday, March 23, 2017 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Lagerald Vick (2) and Kansas guard Devonte' Graham (4) slap hands during the first half, Thursday, March 23, 2017 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Whether it wraps up on a win or a loss, the end of any Kansas basketball season brings with it immediate questions about the future.

Who’s coming back? Who’s going pro? What does next year’s rotation look like? How many days until Late Night?

It’s an age old ritual for Kansas basketball fans and always brings with it some excitement and sadness.

This year, most of the sadness will come from the departure of seniors Frank Mason III and Landen Lucas, two fan favorites who worked as hard as anybody and brought incredible consistency to the program during the past three seasons.

In the era of one-and-done players dominating headlines, four- and five-year guys like Mason and Lucas are not only a rare commodity but also real treats.

Following them out the door likely will be freshman phenom Josh Jackson, a projected top-three pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, who had a magnificent season for the Jayhawks and has everything one needs to become a terrific pro.

Beyond that, however, there are a few question marks, a few exciting prospects and even a couple of unknowns about what KU basketball will look like entering the 2017-18 season.

The following will break down two such scenarios, a best-case and worst-case look for next season.

Best-case scenario:

This one’s easy. Devonte’ Graham elects to return for his senior season, Svi Mykhailiuk joins him and the Jayhawks return a few key veterans and add some healthy bodies and exciting new faces to the lineup in preparation for a run at consecutive Big 12 title No. 14 and a return trip to the elusive Final Four.

In this scenario, one possible starting lineup would be:

G – Devonte’ Graham
G – Malik Newman
G – Lagerald Vick
F – Billy Preston
C – Udoka Azubuike

That fivesome is a preseason Top 10 team, maybe even Top 5, and would give KU a nice mix of veterans and newcomers, athleticism and size and a clear leader in Graham.

The bench then would be deeper than ever — especially when comparing it to this season’s paper thin rotation — and would feature all kinds of different options and combinations to throw on the floor.

G – Svi Mykhailiuk

G – Marcus Garrett
G – Sam Cunliffe (second semester)
F – Carlton Bragg Jr.
F – Dwight Coleby
F – Mitch Lightfoot

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Lagerald Vick (2) pushes the ball up the court to Kansas guard Devonte' Graham (4) during the first half on Friday, March 17, 2017 at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I like Vick over Svi in the starting lineup because of his versatility and higher ceiling. Svi had a great junior season but Vick has the potential to explode during his third season at KU and offers all of the things Svi does in a much more athletic and explosive package.

Bragg is a bit of a mystery, as he was for most of the 2016-17 season, but, if he dedicates himself this summer and matures a little bit, a case could be made for him to become the player next season that many expected him to be this season. If he does that, he easily could slide into the starting spot occupied by Preston in this scenario. If not, he’s still a potential luxury off the bench. A couple of big ifs but a nice problem to have as long as he’s still around.

The other thing that must be considered in this scenario is Self’s potential to add another player or two. There are still a few point guards out there and you have to think KU will add one either in the Class of 2017 or possibly via the graduate transfer route.

In related news, I’ve seen and heard that five-star prospect Trevon Duval is leaning toward Duke and may announce this week, so KU fans might not want to hold their breath on him much longer.

Beyond that, adding a big man via transfer is definitely something that would make sense. Bragg, Coleby and Lightfoot were serviceable at times this season and all could improve a lot in the offseason, but it’s never a bad thing to have several options.

Either way, the group above is deep, talented, experienced, athletic and good enough to compete at the standard expected at Kansas. Adding another player or two to what’s listed above only would enhance that.

Worst-case scenario:

Although the mock drafts have him listed as a second-rounder, it’s definitely possible that Graham could leave early and decide to get his professional career under way. If he does, there’s a good chance that Svi, who’s still just 19, would follow him out the door, leaving KU without much experience and depth in the backcourt.

If that’s how things play out, the starting lineup next year would be hard to project because, as things stand today, KU does not have another obvious option at point guard. As mentioned above, it seems likely that they’ll add one, but if it’s a freshman, you’d be looking at a freshman running Bill Self’s team, either a yet-to-be-known player or Garrett.

Newman could play point but might be better off the ball as more of a pure scorer and Vick isn’t really an option.

There also are questions out there about whether Preston will actually be eligible. I’m assuming that will all work out, but since this is worst-case scenario, let’s say, at least initially, that it doesn’t.

With that in mind, here are a couple of potential lineups for next season, the first based on what we know today and the second based on future developments.

G – Malik Newman
G – Marcus Garrett
G – Lagerald Vick
F – Carlton Bragg Jr.
C – Udoka Azubuike

_______________________

G – PG to be determined
G – Malik Newman
G – Lagerald Vick
F – Carlton Bragg Jr.
C – Udoka Azubuike

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Malik Newman elevates to the bucket past LaGerald Vick during Late Night in the Phog on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016 at Allen Fieldhouse.

In both scenarios, the bench would more or less be the same as above — with Bragg as a starter instead of Preston — and you’re probably still looking at the Big 12 favorite and a Top 20 team.

What this whole exercise has taught me is that there are two Jayhawks I feel very solid about penciling into the starting lineup next year and a third that’s right behind them.

Whether Graham returns or not, Newman has a chance to lead the Jayhawks in scoring and could be the type of guard we haven’t seen all that often around here during recent seasons. He’s a scoring machine who can get to the rim, score off the bounce and also shoot from the outside and he learned a lot during his transfer season and will be determined to prove himself worthy of playing at a program like Kansas.

After Newman, Azubuike, the 7-footer whose absence in January, February and March was felt big time by this year’s team, will be next to impossible to keep out of the starting lineup, as well. He’s a load to handle, has good feet and hands and will provide KU with much more of a shot-blocking presence than anything they had this season.

Those two are a nice one-two punch to build around no matter who else is on the roster.

Based on the jump he made from his freshman to sophomore season, Vick also seems like a strong candidate to start no matter what. But with the potential for Svi to return still a factor, I’m not as sold on solidifying Vick as a starter, even though he seems like a better option for next season.

No matter how this all plays out, next season is going to feel a little different for longer than normal. With Mason and Lucas being such fixtures in the program for so many seasons, getting used to seeing Kansas basketball without them will take some time.

The team’s trip to Italy this summer will help the Jayhawks build a bond and find their new chemistry, and that also wil give fans a head-start on familiarizing themselves with the new faces.

For now, there’s still a bunch up in the air, and even though the season is over, there’s still plenty of Kansas basketball news worth tracking and covering during the coming days, weeks and months.

In short, the beat goes on.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas head coach Bill Self talks about facing Oregon during a press conference on Friday, March 24, 2017 at Sprint Center.