Teammates of Kansas guard Marcus Garrett congratulate him as he is brought out to the court prior to tipoff on Senior Night, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 at Allen Fieldhouse.
At this time of year, advancing in the NCAA Tournament is often about matchups and who’s hot, both in terms of total teams and individual players.
The 12th-ranked Kansas men’s basketball team has won eight of nine entering the Big Dance and is also riding a couple of hot streaks by individual players.
But third-seeded Kansas (20-8) is not without its issues either.
With that in mind, let’s run down where KU’s roster currently stands, in order of who’s hot and who’s not for the Jayhawks heading into Saturday’s clash with No. 14 seed Eastern Washington in Indianapolis.
Kansas head coach Bill Self, center, talks to his team during a timeout in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
At a program with the college basketball pedigree of Kansas, one of the time-honored traditions of Selection Sunday for coaches, players, fans and media alike is inspecting the rest of whatever region the Jayhawks ended up in and gauging just how difficult their road to the Final Four will be.
That flies most years, particularly when KU is a top seed with a legitimate chance of making a run at the national championship. But right now, mere days removed from withdrawing from the Big 12 tournament, KU has far too much else to worry about to dive headfirst into that exercise.
March Madness 2021: Analyzing Underrated NCAA Tournament Contenders bleacherreport.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bleacherreport.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
UTEP at No. 13 Kansas: Three Things to Know Before Tipoff
Who: UTEP (12-10, 8-8 C-USA) vs. No. 13 Kansas (18-8, 12-6 C-USA)
When: Thursday, 6 p.m. MT
Where: Allen Fieldhouse (Lawrence, Kansas)
Watch: ESPN+
UTEP s non-conference games really shaped up
The conversation of having Kansas on the schedule had been in the works for a while now, according to head coach Rodney Terry. They tried to work out a game earlier this season but nothing came of it. Terry credited assistant coach Nick Matson for staying in constant communication with the Jayhawks. When both schools had an open week before their respective league tournaments, the game fell into place and the Miners scheduled another quality non-conference opponent.
No 17 KU Ends No 2 Baylor s Perfect Record with 71-58 Win mynews13.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mynews13.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.