Kansas vs Saint John's: Defensive Battle in NCAA Tournament

0:00On March 21st, Kansas moved on in the NCAA tournament after beating California Baptist in the round of 64. Now they face St. John's in the second round tomorrow. Even as the higher seed, Bill Selves-Jehawks opened as underdogs to the red storm who have been on fire lately. The Jehawks showed some cracks in their win over California Baptist, especially struggling in the second half. They will need a much cleaner effort in this do-or-die game against the tough St. John squad led by Rick Patino. Our panel of experts from Kansas on SI has split predictions heading in. Two, see narrow wins for St. John's, like 64 to 59 and 68 to 62. The other two favor Kansas in close ones, 71 to 69 and 70 to 65. Kansas has been inconsistent all season, with top prospect Darren Peterson not always efficient. But experts point out St. John's elite defense might focus too much on him, opening up the rest of the offense.

1:01Patino's team runs well, but shoots poorly from outside, and they lack experience against many tournament-tested foes. This shapes up as a defensive battle, where late game execution decides it. Kansas has the talent edge on paper, but St. John's momentum could carry them through.