It figures that Kansas should make the Final Four

< Previous page

But this is Kansas’ moment. The Jayhawks have a team of upperclassmen intact. They have three or four NBA picks. Georgetown is gone. Clemson is gone. Vanderbilt is gone. The Jayhawks have had a wonderful season with 33 victories and a share of the Big 12 title and a fabulous victory in the Big 12 tournament, but there’s no doubt now that the season will be a big disappointment if they don’t get to the Final Four.

What can stop them? Well, there are some hurdles. Tonight, it’s Villanova, and the Wildcats are hot. They played in a good conference, so they won’t be intimidated. They have a good coach, a bold New York point guard named Corey Fisher and a terrific all-round player named Scottie Reynolds who actually committed to Oklahoma first.

Also, the game will be played on a raised court in the middle of a huge dome, Ford Field, and that could affect the game. Sometimes, shooters can’t find the range in domes — because of the backdrop or the wind patterns or something — and so it will be worth watching the first few shots of Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers.

Still, the Jayhawks are better than Villanova. The Wildcats did lose five in a row in the middle of the season and on Selection Sunday they were watching nervously.

If Kansas wins tonight they will face a very different challenge. They could play a very good Wisconsin team that probably deserved to be a No. 2 seed; the Badgers have seniors and a sense of purpose, and that would make them tough. Or Kansas could face Davidson, the Cinderella story of the tournament so far with the tournament Prince Charming, super scorer Stephen Curry. That would be a very different kind of challenge.

But hey it’s always something in the NCAA Tournament. Lots of stuff can get you. Overconfidence can get you. Bad officiating can get you. A terrible shooting day can get you. A baffling style can get you. Bottom line, to get to the Final Four, you have to overcome. Bill Self has done a lot of great things at Kansas. So far, in March, his team has not overcome.

This is the Jayhawks’ time. Kansas is the best team left in this region. The Jayhawks are the one team left that can win no matter what style is being played. They are the one team left that can overcome a slump by its best player (it’s not easy to say who is Kansas’ best player — that’s another advantage).

There’s no way to hide from it. The good news: Bill Self is not hiding from it.

“When we’re good, we’re really good,” he says.

If the Jayhawks are good this weekend, they will get Self to his first Final Four and be a serious threat to win their first championship since Danny and the Miracles. If they aren’t good, there will be more questions than ever before.

< Previous page

To reach Joe Posnanski, call 816-234-4361 or send e-mail to jposnanski@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com