No. 4 seed, Midwest Region
Opponent, time, TV: Samford, 9:55 p.m., TBS
Team in 16 words: Awesome starting five that when healthy can beat anyone. But they’re not healthy. Upset watch.
Record: 22-10 (10-8 Big 12)
Coach: Bill Self (56-22 in NCAA Tournament, 4 Final Fours, 2 national titles)
Player to watch: Hunter Dickinson (first-team All-Big 12)
Numbers:
BetMGM title odds: +4000
Sweet 16 projected chance: 30.4 percent
Final Four projected chance: 4.4 percent
Strengths: Kansas shares the ball (it leads all teams in assist rate), it makes a ton of its 2-point attempts (54.8 percent) and has one of the game’s elite five-man units. The Jayhawks aren’t elite defensively, but are solid inside the paint and in passing lanes. They’re also underrated as an up-tempo team. Kansas outgunned Kentucky earlier this season. When they’re hitting from the perimeter — or if point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. is able to attract attention — Kansas can play with anyone.
Weaknesses: The bench gets most of the attention — only a handful of high-major teams play their starters more than Kansas — but that’s not what derails KU. It’s the shot volume. Between pitiful offensive rebounding (291st in the country) and turnover propensity, Kansas is well below the national average at creating opportunities to score. The Jayhawks shoot 33 percent beyond the arc, but fewer than 30 percent of their shots come from deep, 333rd nationally.
Outlook: The Jayhawks were No. 1 in the AP preseason poll. They feature two All-Big 12 players in Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr. They beat UConn, Tennessee and Houston. But McCullar, the Big 12’s leading scorer (18.3 ppg), has missed five games since Jan. 30 due to a bone bruise. Dickinson, the league’s second-leading scorer (18.0 ppg) and top rebounder (10.8 rpg), dislocated his shoulder and missed the Big 12 Tournament. Their health will dictate how far Kansas goes. It could be the second straight season Kansas exits before the second week.
— Mike Miller