March has finally arrived, and the Kansas Jayhawks have now learned their fate as they head into Bill Self’s 16th season at the helm and stare down the possibility of a third national title under the legendary head coach.
Kansas’ Big 12 Tournament run came to a sudden end in Friday night’s semifinal clash against the No. 2 Houston Cougars. The Jayhawks fell by a whopping 22 points in a 69-47 loss that exposed Kansas’ several weaknesses. The biggest being that the Jayhawks struggled to find a consistent second scorer when five-star guard Darryn Peterson was marked out of the game.
Jayhawks face a tall task so early into the tournament
Minutes ago, the Jayhawks were revealed as a No. 4 seed in the East Region. The first matchup will set Self up against No. 13 Cal Baptist. A game that may show some early growing pains, but one that Kansas should be able to manage. The round of 32, however, will be a much more stifling St. John's out of the Big East, assuming the Red Storm take out No. 12 Northern Iowa in round one.
Kansas must beat the Big East champions to have a sniff at a deep tournament run
St. John’s of couse is led by the great Rick Pitino, and the Red Storm are just a day off from a massive 72-52 win against the UConn Huskies in the heralded Big East title game.
Against the Huskies, St. John’s notched a stellar 48% field goal rate while forcing a stubborn 16 turnovers.
Leading the way for Pitino was the elite forward play from both Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins, as the pair combined for 36 points.
St. John's may just be the kryptonite to the Jayhawks
The two biggest issues facing KU this season have been the aforementioned lack of a second scoring outlet, along with Kansas' season-long struggles defending down low.
Yes, forward Flory Bidunga was recently awarded the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and rightly so, while also being included in the All-Defensive Team and the All-Big 12 First Team, but if you can get the sophomore into early foul trouble, then the Jayhawks are forced to resort to a much smaller lineup that forces mismatches across the court.
Look no further than Kansas’ shocking 84-68 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats late last month. Baba Miller and Moustapha Thiam combined for 46 points against Self and have since laid out a blueprint on how to beat the Jayhawks with size.
There is one reference point that connects St. John’s and the Jayhawks, as they both have taken on UConn. Kansas fell to Dan Hurley’s side in early December as the Darryn Peterson-less KU fell by a narrow five points in a 61-56 loss.
St. John's and UConn have squared off three times this season, including Saturday’s championship clash. Pitino holds a 2-1 record over the two-time national champion Hurley.
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