Kansas basketball: Here’s what we should expect from Eastern Washington
Kansas basketball opens their NCAA Tournament run against No. 14 seed Eastern Washington, a talented program that brings their share of advantages.
The first round for Kansas basketball might come across to fans as a “step back” of sorts, but the matchup should be will need to be taken seriously by the Jayhawks.
The Eagles come from the Big Sky Conference, where they put up a competitive season against programs such as Idaho, Northern Arizona, and Portland State.
While the competition differs, this is still a program that earned their seat in the NCAA Tournament and will bring their best effort on Saturday.
Perimeter advantage
A significant advantage Eastern Washington brings to the table is their performance from the perimeter, which has been one of the major challenges Kansas head coach Bill Self has addressed ahead of the matchup.
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Kim Aiken Jr., an E. Washington junior, has found times throughout the season where he consistently has knocked down threes. However, keeping him cold will nearly eliminate any chance of him heating up and forcing an edge against Kansas.
Senior Jack Perry will be a more consistent three-point shooter for the Eagles. Despite not residing on the Eagles’ starting five, he will be a contributor for Eastern Washington’s offense and will always take the open shot.
An inside outlet
Junior forward Tanner Groves presents an inside advantage for the Eagles, as he averages over 15 points per game and is the 5th best scorer coming out of the Big Sky.
Similar to Kansas’ reliance on David McCormack for inside support, we should expect the Eagles to use any and every avenue they can when it comes to getting the ball in Grove’s hands.
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This will also put a strain on Kansas’ defense, which will be down one defender due to Jalen Wilson’s absence. Jayhawks such as Marcus Garrett and Ochai Agbaji will have to carry some of the load protecting the paint tomorrow.
The bottom line
While Kansas is without both Jalen Wilson and Tristan Enaruna, tomorrow’s matchup presents an opportunity for head coach Bill Self’s squad to display some resilience.
Considering the late Covid-19 scare that nearly ended Kansas’ season, they’re very fortunate to be in the position they’re in. The NCAA Tournament is going to look much different this year, but that also means the number of eyes looking up the tourney will be much greater.
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A win over Eastern Washington isn’t going to be anything that fans will marvel over but it will prove that this team can bounce back from a tough situation.
It’d be an excellent look heading into what will likely be a contest with USC (you can correct me later if I’m wrong) and should be a major morale-booster for the team.
Eastern Washington brings a competitive roster and will be looking for any way to derail Kansas’ tournament run, which will be an obstacle for the shortened Jayhawk roster looking to get the job down tomorrow in the first round.