After a nail-biting victory over Samford in the first round, the Kansas basketball team has a quick turnaround against one of the top programs in the country. The Jayhawks and Gonzaga will meet in Salt Lake City to determine which team will advance to the next round.
Gonzaga steamrolled popular upset pick McNeese State 86-65 in the first round. While the Bulldogs did not win a share of the WCC regular season title for the first time since 2012, they are on a hot streak at the right time, having won 15 of their past 17 contests.
Mark Few has never won a national championship at GU, but the Bulldogs have reached the Sweet 16 in each of the past nine seasons. He puts out a competitive and talented roster every year, similar to what Bill Self does at Kansas. It will be the first time the two Hall of Fame coaches meet in March Madness.
Being that KU is shorthanded without Kevin McCullar for the rest of the tournament, nothing will come easy for the Jayhawks on either end of the floor. For those unfamiliar with this year's Gonzaga team, here are three Gonzaga Bulldogs that Kansas Jayhawks fans should be concerned about heading into their Round of 32 matchup.
Graham Ike - Forward/Center
2023-24 Statistics: 16.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.7 BPG, 61.1% FG
Ike is a traditional low-post big man who possesses tremendous footwork and craftiness when he scores. Like KU star Hunter Dickinson, he is a southpaw with a multitude of post moves around the basket — Bill Self even recruited him before Dickinson entered the portal.
The Wyoming transfer medically redshirted the previous campaign before committing to Gonzaga over the offseason. He is the team's leading scorer and needed just 23 minutes to post a double-double with perfect shooting in GU's first-round win.
Dickinson vs. Ike will be the matchup to watch today, as Dickinson must take advantage of the five-inch height difference between the two. Neither is particularly dominant on the defensive end, but they serve as a paint presence for their respective squads. Ike could cause many problems for Kansas.