Here’s what national experts are saying about KU Jayhawks’ chances in NCAA Tournament
The Kansas men’s basketball team will open play in the West region of the NCAA Tournament by heading ... east.
KU, which is seeded seventh, will play Arkansas on Thursday in Providence, Rhode Island. National college basketball writers have shared their thoughts about the Jayhawks and their chances against the Razorbacks and in the tournament.
Here is what is being said about Kansas.
ESPN’s Myron Medcalf wrote about KU’s inconsistent season.
This is from his story: “The Jayhawks have all of the talent any coach would covet. Hunter Dickinson (17.6 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.3 BPG) should earn his third AP All-America spot. Veterans Dajuan Harris Jr. and KJ Adams Jr. were members of the 2022 national title team. Zeke Mayo, AJ Storr and Rylan Griffen were three of the top available transfers in the offseason. The preseason No. 1 team picked to win the Big 12 had a promising start featuring wins over Duke and Michigan State. But Kansas (60th in adjusted offensive efficiency since Feb. 1) ultimately finished sixth in the standings and lost to Arizona in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals, falling short of its ceiling. On paper, this is a national championship contender. But if you’ve watched Kansas at all this season, the Jayhawks look as disconnected as any edition out of Lawrence in recent memory.”
The Athletic’s Rob Dauster doesn’t expect much from the Jayhawks in the Big Dance.
This is from his outlook: “KU won’t make much noise in the NCAA Tournament. That feels like an odd thing to say about a Self squad with a serial winner at the point and one of the nation’s best five-men. But that’s where the Jayhawks stand. The saving grace is that they actually fared well in non-conference play. They beat North Carolina at home and defeated Michigan State and Duke on neutral courts. Their losses came against a full-strength Creighton squad and a very good Missouri team, both in true road settings. There may be something to the argument that Big 12 teams, which know Kansas inside and out, have more success than opponents trying to learn what Self does on a short turnaround. I will not be buying that excuse. Fade the Jayhawks.”
USA Today’s Jordan Mendoza picks KU to lose its first game.
This is part of what he wrote: “The Jayhawks have won at least one game in their last 17 tournament appearances. They enter as a No. 7 seed — their worst since the streak began — against Arkansas. And momentum is not in their favor. Kansas have five losses in their nine games. Look for a disappointing finish against the Razorbacks.”
Mendoza’s USA Today colleague Steve Berkowitz concurs on KU.
“(M)ore-than-pass-the-laugh-test case can be made for a first round in which No. 10 Arkansas, No. 11 Drake, No. 12 Colorado State and No. 13 Grand Canyon all win. Arkansas has said that point guard Boogie Fland should be back from a thumb injury, and Kansas — for whatever reason — simply seems off the boil against most quality teams this season.”
CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno picked KU-Arkansas as the best opening game in the West region.
He wrote: “Normally, the best matchup in March Madness is the 8-9 game, but it’s the 7-10 game in this region. And this showdown between Kansas and Arkansas has everything. This game features two of the greatest college basketball coaches: Kansas’ Bill Self and Arkansas’ John Calipari. Both programs have had their peaks and valleys for different reasons this season. Kansas had a rock bottom moment with a blowout loss to BYU while Arkansas started 0-5 in SEC play in Calipari’s first year with the Razorbacks after leaving Kentucky. Arkansas star freshman Boogie Fland could return to the lineup after missing the last two months with a hand injury.”
The Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy also liked the KU-Arkansas matchup as the best to start things off in the West.
He wrote: “The last time Bill Self and John Calipari met in an NCAA Tournament game, the 2012 championship was at stake under the Superdome roof in New Orleans. Calipari’s Kentucky team won when Michael Kidd-Gilchrist delivered a game-saving block in the final minute. The time before that, the 2008 championship was at stake under the Alamodome roof in San Antonio, and Self’s Kansas squad beat Calipari’s Memphis Tigers when Mario Chalmers forced overtime with a last-second 3-pointer. These guys know how to give us classics.”
And Fox Sports’ Michael Cohen also is looking forward to seeing KU face the Razorbacks.
This is from his story: “The opening-round tilt between seventh-seeded Kansas and 10th-seeded Arkansas features two of the most accomplished coaches in college basketball history. Bill Self, who has been in charge of the Jayhawks since 2003, can claim two national championships and four Final Four appearances, not to mention more than 800 career victories. His counterpart, John Calipari, whose high-profile move from Kentucky to Arkansas was among the sport’s biggest news stories last spring, has one national title of his own and six Final Four appearances spread across three schools: UMass, Memphis and Kentucky. He, too, has more than 800 career wins.
“If that wasn’t enough intrigue, consider the talent on both rosters: Arkansas has three potential draft picks in Adou Thiero, Boogie Fland and Zvonimir Ivisic, while Kansas is led by one of the most productive centers of the last decade in fifth-year senior Hunter Dickinson, who has scored more than 2,700 points in his career.”
This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 10:10 AM.
