Kansas Jayhawks Face Tough East Region

0:00On March 18th, the fourth-seated Kansas J-Hawks face a tough East region in this year's NCAA tournament. They are heavy favorites against Cal Baptist in the first round on Friday, but a second-round match of awaits on Sunday against either fifth-seated St. Seated. John's or 12-seated Northern Iowa. St. John's comes in hot after winning the big East regular season and tournament titles for the second straight year under coach Rick Patino. They have won 19 of their last 20 games, and boasts a strong front court led by senior forward Zubi Ijefore, who averages 16.3, points in 7.1 rebounds, while earning both big East player and defensive player of the year honors. Kansas fans still remember Northern Iowa's stunning upset over the top-ranked J-Hawks back in 2010. This year's Panthers earned their spot by winning the Missouri Valley Conference tournament despite a mid-pack regular season finish. They play at a slow pace with the nation's top-scoring defense, holding opponents to

1:00just 61.3 points per game on average. That elite defense could slow Kansas, who rank outside the top-170 in scoring offense lily. Still, Northern Iowa struggles to score, averaging only 69.9 points and lack size against Kansas's big men like Florey Badunga. Overall, the J-Hawks would match up better against Northern Iowa's weaknesses than St. John's momentum and physicality, giving them a clearer shot at. Reaching the sweet 16 for the first time in four years.