updated 9:28 p.m. ET Oct. 16, 2008

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Mario Chalmers hit his historic jumper and left town, now an NBA rookie playing alongside Dwyane Wade and former rival Michael Beasley in Miami.

Three other Jayhawks — Brandon Rush, Darnell Jackson and Darrell Arthur — heard their names called in the NBA draft. Two others, Sasha Kaun and Russell Robinson, are playing professionally overseas.

That’s all five starters, nearly 80 percent of the scoring from last season’s national championship team, gone, along with a key reserve. That’s as close to a rebuilding year as it gets at Kansas.

The difference is that rebuilding in Lawrence doesn’t come with lower expectations.

Four returning scholarship players, four walk-ons and seven newcomers? Doesn’t matter. The Jayhawks are still expected to compete for the Big 12 title and another national championship. That’s just the way it is at Allen Fieldhouse. Always has, always will.

“Two years ago when we went to the Elite Eight and we lost or whether it be last year when we won it all, there’s always going to be pressure,” center Cole Aldrich said. “It’s just part of playing at such a prestigious place. With great fans and tradition comes a little pressure.”

Everything fell into place perfectly for Kansas last season, from the 20-0 start to the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships to Chalmers’ last-second 3-pointer that sent the national title game against Memphis into overtime.

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The school’s third national title was the culmination of a great recruiting class from three years earlier maturing and meshing with players coach Bill Self brought in.

This year, Self believes he has a similar class.

There aren’t any stars or McDonald’s All-Americas like the 2005 class that included Rush, Chalmers and Julian Wright, who’s now playing for the Charlotte Hornets. What this class does have is depth, seven good players instead of three great ones, players who can fill a variety of roles.

“We’re not as talented as we were last year. We lost five guys to the draft and replaced them with young kids,” Self said. “But we, I think, are comparable to where those guys who got drafted were three years ago, when they were all real young.”

Holding all this youth together will be junior guard Sherron Collins.

He’s the only returning player to get significant playing time during last season’s title run, often on the court during key stretches, finishing fifth in scoring at 9.3 points per game despite struggling with injuries. Stocky and quick, Collins has always been aggressive in driving to the rim, a trait that should be enhanced this season now that he’s fully healthy.

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The key will be whether he’s able to handle leadership duties thrust upon him with so many players gone. Collins has had his problems in the past — he was accused of exposing himself and rubbing against a woman in an elevator last spring — but has impressed Self with the way he’s matured this fall.

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