Kansas vs California Baptist: First Round Threat

0:00On March 6th, Kansas earned a number-four seed in the East region of the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday. The J-Hots will face number 13, California Baptist in the first round on Friday, March 20th, tipping off at 8.45pm Central, Time in San Diego. Despite some projections dropping them to a five-seed, the committee rewarded their tough regular season schedule. This East region looks stacked from top to bottom, with number 1 Duke, number 2 Yukon, number 3 Michigan State, and number 5 St. John's, leading the way. Kansas already lost to both Duke and Yukon earlier this season, and the bracket features coaching legends like Bill Self, Rick Patino, Tom Izzo, and Dan Hurley. Fans see the opener as a winnable game, but California Baptist could be a trap with their solid defense and score, Dominic Daniels Jr. averaging, over 23 points per game. Kansas has struggled lately, though Star Guard Darren Peterson gives them postseason upside under self, who last won at all in 2022.

1:03If things go to Chuck, the second round on Sunday, March 22nd, pits the winner against St. John's or never 12 Northern Iowa. That can mean a dream match up between Self and Patino, whose teams have only met once before. St. John's just won the Big E's title by crushing Yukon. Kansas needs to string together wins to escape the first weekend and chase a deep run in this brutal region, starting with a strong showing against. The Lancers