Well, it all comes down to this. Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks (21-12) will face the Arkansas Razorbacks (20-13) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, and the loser will be sent home for the year.
The Jayhawks come into this game with their lowest expectations in the entirety of the Self era at Kansas, as their No. 7 seed is the weakest in his tenure. This comes after KU began the season as the AP preseason No. 1 team. It has been a rollercoaster season, but the team ultimately made the tournament, keeping the school’s streak alive at 42 consecutive appearances.
Playing Arkansas in the first round could cause some Kansas fans some immediate flashbacks to two seasons ago. The Jayhawks were knocked out of the tournament in the Round of 32 when they faced the Razorbacks in 2023. Both teams are vastly different from that meeting. Only Self as head coach, along with DeJuan Harris and KJ Adams as the lone players, remain from either team. Legendary head coach John Calipari moved on from Kentucky to take over the Arkansas program this past offseason. That’s another wrinkle to this madness. Both teams have been up and down throughout the season, but Kansas was never in doubt of missing the tournament like Arkansas had been.
The Jayhawks have been consistently around five-point favorites since the matchup was announced. This is a game that Kansas should win, but nothing comes easy this time of year. It will be up to the core group of seniors to get this team to the next round. The aforementioned Harris and Adams have been the consistent cogs of this program since the post-COVID season. Hunter Dickinson has become a staple of the program over the past couple of seasons. Zeke Mayo, a kid from Lawrence, KS, joined his hometown team to finish out his college career. They will need big performances from all of these seniors to make it to move ahead in the tournament.
Kansas will also need someone off the bench to step up. There was one game in the past couple of weeks where we saw AJ Storr step up and get a season-high in points. Storr has mostly been a disappointment during this season but still has the potential to be a big-time player. When the lights are bright, it would behoove him to play his best, especially if he wants to try and play at the next level. Stars can be made in March. Rylan Griffen has been the fifth starter but has been rather quiet over the past few weeks. If Griffen can get going, that would help ease the pressure off the other four starters. It would also be nice to see freshman Flory Bidunga come off the bench and give some energy on the defensive side of the ball. Bidunga will be looking to take a big step in minutes and offensively next season, but just giving some energy for this tournament run would be huge for the Jayhawks.
There’s no reason to look ahead in the bracket and say we could get a Kansas vs Missouri Sweet 16 matchup. It’s unlikely either of those teams will make it that far, let alone one of them. Sure, it’s fun to dream about the possibility of the Jayhawks taking on the Tigers for the first time in March, but it’s unrealistic. Kansas is 0-0, and they are starting a new season. It all starts in the opening round against Arkansas. Like Eminem says, “You only get one shot; do not miss your chance to blow, this opportunity comes once in a lifetime.”
Now is the time for the Jayhawks to get the job done and move on to the Round of 32 with a game against the winner of St. John’s and Omaha on the line. Getting to the second weekend would be a big win for this Kansas team, considering the spot they find themselves in at the start of the tournament. It’s the first time there’s no pressure on Self or his team. No,w they just need to go out there, play freely, and get a win against Arkansas.
