Kansas' NCAA Tournament Odds: A Steep Climb

0:00On March 19, Kansas heads into the NCAA tournament as a fourth seed, facing the 13th-seated Cal Baptist tomorrow night. The J-Hawk started the season as a top 10 team in title-favorite, but a late slump has dimmed those hopes. Now, respected analytic side, Kenpom, ranks their odds to win it all as the 21st best in the field. Kenpom projects an 86.7% chance for Kansas to reach the round of 32, then 45.5% for the sweet. 16. Those numbers drop fast after that, with just an 11.4% shot at the Elite 8 and 5.1% for the final four. Even as a fourth seed, Kansas trails teams like 6th-seated Tennessee and 5th-seeds Vanderbilt St. John's and Texas Tech and Title Odds. Fans and analysts see this as a reality check after the team's mid-season hype faded amid injuries and tough losses. The bracket sets up potential clashes with St. John's, or Northern Iowa next, followed by top seed duke in later rounds.

1:00Kenpom gives the J-Hawks only a 1.7% chance to reach the title game and just half a percent to actually win it. This projection underscores how steep the path ahead looks for Bill Self Squad, turning what could have been a deep run into a real underdog story, bright from the start.