It has been a disappointing season for the Kansas Jayhawks, to say the least. As of writing this, they currently sit in sixth place in the Big 12. If that holds, it will be the worst a Kansas team has finished in the Big 12 era. You would have to go back to 1989 to find the last time the Jayhawks finished below fifth in the conference. Between then and now, they have finished worse than third just twice. They are also unranked for the first time since February of 2021. Needless to say, they aren't used to this level of struggle.
After losing three of their last four games, they put together their first winning streak in more than a month. Hopefully, this has created some momentum going into the final three games of the regular season. They'll certainly need it.
Joe Lunardi currently has Kansas projected as a six seed in the NCAA Tournament. Here is how I think the final three games could affect the Jayhawks postseason hopes, from both a seeding and confidence standpoint.
0-3 With No Competitive Games: Get Ready For Next Season
If you asked KU fans a few days ago how they predict these three games will go, I imagine a good amount of them would pick this option. A 34-point loss to BYU wouldn't make many people confident with three ranked teams upcoming.
This is about as much of a gauntlet as you could face in the Big 12, outside of a game against Iowa State in the mix. I certainly won't say it's impossible for this to be the outcome given how the team has played at times. If this is how the regular season ends, go ahead and start looking forward to next season.
Most Likely Tournament Seed: No. 8
0-3 With Mostly Competitive Games: Pray For A Second Weekend Appearance
Keeping these three games close would show that the team is at least still trying. Obviously, a win or two would be huge for both the seeding and confidence of this team come the NCAA Tournament, but this is probably the second most likely outcome for these three games.
They are facing three really good teams to close the season, so none of these would be bad losses on the resume. However, three losses might be the final straw for this team's confidence and they would likely be lucky to find themselves in the Sweet Sixteen.
Most Likely Tournament Seed: No. 8
1-2 With Texas Tech Or Houston Win: Expect A Second Weekend Appearance
Winning even one of these games would be a fairly good outcome, considering how the rest of the season has gone. The Jayhawks have just a single ranked win since late November and are 1-2 in such games during Big 12 play. However, two of these three games are at home (where they are 13-2 and almost a completely different team).
If the one win happens to be on the road against likely one-seed Houston, it would go a long way towards what people think this team can do in the tournament. They would have two wins over teams who are, as of writing this, one-seeds (Duke and Houston) and two wins over two-seeds (Iowa State and Michigan State). It would show that winning a couple games in the tournament is still attainable.
Most Likely Tournament Seed: No. 7
2-1 Without Bad Loss: They Can Beat Anyone At Our Best
Two wins would be a very welcomed sight for the Jayhawks and their fans. They would triple their ranked wins on the season and show a lot more life than they did during a rough stretch a couple weeks prior.
If the wins are against Texas Tech and Houston, their resume would get a significant boost. A pair of top 10 wins would likely bump them up a couple seeds and give them a much better pair of matchups in the first weekend of the tournament, allowing them to avoid a one or two seed until the Sweet Sixteen. Those wins would also show that there aren't many teams they can't compete with when they play their best.
Most Likely Tournament Seed: No. 5
3-0 With At Least 1 Convincing Win: Final Four, Here We Come
If the Jayhawks, who are having their worst regular season in nearly 40 years, were to finish the season with five straight wins and three straight ranked wins, Jayhawk fans might just explode with optimism. Whether it is warranted or not is up to their own discretion.
A 3-0 finish to the season would give them six ranked wins. There are currently just five teams with that many ranked wins. They would have one of the better resumes for teams outside the SEC. It would likely instill some much needed confidence into the team and show them that they can absolutely beat any team in the country if they play a great game.
Most Likely Tournament Seed: No. 4
If I had to guess...
...two wins is a very real possibility. Since the beatdown against BYU, the team has had a different vibe. Coach Self said that Saturday's game against Oklahoma State was the start of a new season, which has since become a bit of a running joke for Jayhawk fans. However, the team seems to have taken it to heart.
They played arguably their best game of the season against Oklahoma State, rolling to a 32-point win. They followed that up by going to Boulder and picking up a late night win over Colorado. While neither of those wins are resume boosters, they are certainly confidence boosters. It seems like the team has begun playing more freely, which has led to two much needed wins.
I think they use that momentum to grab a win over Texas Tech, who is coming off a tough loss and may not be 100% healthy. They also have their Senior Night game to close the season. That is a game the Jayhawks haven't lost in 42 years. Even in seasons that didn't go as well as planned, that game is always one that they get up for. If the Jayhawks can rattle off two more wins in the regular season, they will have a solid bit of momentum going into the postseason.