Did Kansas basketball get a hard draw in March Madness? Jayhawks coach Bill Self thinks so

The Kansas Jayhawks were selected as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament yesterday, tying the lowest finish Bill Self has ever received since taking the job in 2003. They will face No. 13 seed Samford in the Round of 64 on Thursday, March 21.

The Bulldogs finished the season with a 29-5 record, winning the Southern Conference regular season title and conference tournament championship. Coach of the Year Bucky McMillan guided one of the most prolific offenses in the NCAA this season — Samford scored 100+ points in five games and ranks top ten in the nation in points, 3-point percentage, and steals per game.

KU is 1-4 over its past five games and dealt with injuries toward the latter stages of the regular season. Kevin McCullar's knee injury and Hunter Dickinson's shoulder dislocation were the primary reasons why the Jayhawks were eliminated from the Big 12 Tournament early. But even with the two star players expected back, there are still multiple underlying issues the squad must correct.

Many view this game between the Jayhawks and Bulldogs as a potential upset in the Midwest region because Kansas has struggled with high-octane offenses that shoot a lot of outside shots. Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self seems to agree with the sentiment floating around the college basketball world.

"I think we got a hard draw," Self said after the committee revealed Kansas' seeding. "When you think of Samford, what have we labored with the most this year? It's teams that shoot a ton of threes and then we have a hard time making up the difference. And they shoot 39% as a group."

"They've hung over 100 five times this year, and I don't know if we scored 90 five times this year," he continued. "I know the competition in some of those games is different, but they can score, they shoot a ton of threes, their 5-man makes 45% of his threes. On paper looking at it and not knowing their personnel the way that we will shortly, I'd say that it's an extremely difficult matchup."

There are two ways to look at this first-round matchup. Samford was prolific against its competition in conference play, but they also lost by 53 points to Purdue in its only Quad 1 contest. Either way, the KU coaching staff must develop a solid game plan against Samford to avoid being on the wrong side of an early March Madness upset.