Kansas basketball: Jayhawks rank No. 3 overall in way-too-early bracketology
In ESPN’s most recent way-too-early bracketology, Kansas basketball jumped from a No. 2 seed to a No. 1 seed to rank third overall in the country.
To keep the offseason interesting, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi updates his way-too-early March Madness bracket every few weeks. After adding Hunter Dickinson via the transfer portal, the Kansas Jayhawks finished as one of the top teams.
In the most recent edition, Lunardi lists KU as a No. 1 seed in the South region and the third-ranked school overall. It is a similar ranking to what the Jayhawks received on this year’s Selection Sunday, as Alabama and Houston rounded out the top two while Kansas was selected as the third-best No. 1 seed.
At one point, Kansas was a No. 3 seed, but the acquisition of Dickinson gave Lunardi no choice but to put the Jayhawks back on top. He explained why Kansas was bumped back to the top three:
"We should have known all along it would be Kansas to break into the club of preseason No. 1 seeds. After all, the Jayhawks have been a top seed a staggering 10 times under Bill Self. All it took was the nation’s top transfer — Hunter Dickinson — for KU to leapfrog defending national champion UConn (among others) to reach the first line in our latest update. The initial numbers after Dickinson’s commitment had Kansas as a 2-seed, but a deeper look elevates the Jayhawks to third overall, behind Duke and Michigan State."
The list does not account for Ernest Udeh Jr. or Zuby Ejiofor departing from the program, though that likely would not make a difference. Kansas will be a force to be reckoned with after adding Dickinson, Nick Timberlake, and Arterio Morris while returning Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams.
KU trails Duke and Michigan State for the top seed, but schools will fluctuate as the offseason progresses. The likelihood is that Kansas will be a contender for the nation’s top seed coming into the preseason.
You can view Lunardi’s full bracketology here.
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