This is what national observers are saying about KU ahead of the NCAA Tournament
The Kansas men’s basketball team finds itself in an usual position heading into the NCAA Tournament:
Underdogs.
KU is seeded fourth in the Midwest Region and has a less than 1 percent chance of winning the national championship, according to FiveThirtyEight.com.
The Jayhawks seem to be a trendy pick to be upset early in the Big Dance. Here is a sample of what people around the nation are saying about the Jayhawks:
Scott Gleeson of USA Today picked potential upsets and including KU’s game against Northeastern. Here is part of what he wrote: “The Huskies (23-4) won the Colonial tourney for their auto bid, and have a very real chance of beating a Kansas team (25-9) that still hasn’t found its identity as March Madness officially begins. That’s because what started off as a season with national title expectations for the preseason No. 1 Jayhawks was disrupted by the season-ending injury of preseason All-American Udoka Azubuike and then the late-season departure of second-leading scorer Lagerald Vick.”
Seth Davis of CBS Sports doesn’t think KU will lose its first game, but he predicted the Jayhawks wouldn’t advance to the Sweet 16 at the Sprint Center.
Patrick Stevens and Mike Hume of the Washington Post compiled an overview of the NCAA Tournament and wrote: “Kansas is not as strong as it was at the start of the season, but nearly won the Big 12 despite key personnel losses. And of course Kentucky sits on the No. 2 line.
“Don’t sleep on the Northeastern Huskies, who can light it up from three-point range and have one of the most efficient offenses in the nation. They could upset the depleted Jayhawks in the opening round.”
ESPN’s Myron Medcalf wrote about every team in the tournament. This is a snippet of what he wrote about the Jayhawks: “Dedric Lawson (19.2 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.1 BPG) is an All-American who is doing everything he can to carry a Kansas squad that finished sixth in the Big 12 in adjusted offensive efficiency on KenPom for the first time in 15 years.”
Zach Braziller of the New York Post called the Midwest Region the “Bracket of Death.” He also believes KU could be an upset victim. This is part of what he wrote: “Injuries and defections led to Kansas’ run atop the Big 12 ending after a ridiculous 14 years, and the Jayhawks will get an early start on next season as the well-coached Huskies and star Serbian point guard Vasa Pusica finish what the 2015 team couldn’t in a near-upset of Notre Dame.”
Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News wrote an overview of the Midwest Region and was puzzled as to why KU has a chance to play at the Sprint Center.
This is a snippet of what he wrote: “Can Kansas turn a Midwest Region in Kansas City into a hometown happening? (For that matter, did the Jayhawks really earn the opportunity?) KU is seeded No. 4, which means the committee has projected the Jayhawks to make it to KC for a potential Sweet 16 game against No. 1 seed North Carolina.
Sprint Center is a building where KU plays an annual ‘home’ game and also appears each year in the Big 12 Tournament. So it’s hard to figure how the Jayhawks would get placed on the 4-line in this region — and how conference regular-season champion Kansas State would be shipped to the West, in a region with a higher-ranked 1-seed.”
Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports broke down the Midwest Region. Here is part of what he wrote: “North Carolina and Kentucky will be strongly favored to reach the regional final. But the committee dealt Kansas a potentially huge break as a No. 4 seed by putting the Jayhawks in fan-friendly Kansas City. “
This story was originally published March 18, 2019 at 12:09 PM with the headline "This is what national observers are saying about KU ahead of the NCAA Tournament."