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The No. 1 seed in the South Region Kansas Jayhawks will square off with the No. 9 seeded Connecticut Huskies on Saturday from Des Moines, Iowa. The Jayhawks will be looking to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013 after losing in the second round in each of the last two tournaments. The Huskies, on the other hand, will be looking to stay perfect in the tournament under Kevin Ollie who led them to the national championship in 2014.
Although Kansas took down Austin Peay 105-79 in the Round of 64, head coach Bill Self wasn’t happy with his defense.
“We played pretty well in stretches. Didn’t guard as well as we needed to guard to have a chance to advance past Saturday,” Self said. “So we’ve got to tighten that up. I do like how our bench played.”
He mentions the bench, which scored 45 points and were led by Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk who scored a career-high 23 points. The Jayhawks also got 21 points from Perry Ellis and 16 points and eight rebounds from Landen Lucas. Devonte’ Graham, who won the Most Outstanding Player Award at the Big 12 tournament, was held scoreless as he battled foul trouble although he did post six assists.
Connecticut, meanwhile, is coming off of a 74-67 victory over Colorado in the first round. The Huskies were slow out of the gates and trailed by nine at halftime, but they rebounded to dominate the second half. Rodney Purvis led the team in scoring with 19 while Daniel Hamilton pitched in with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
What To Watch For
The Jayhawks are the lone team in the country that has no weaknesses. They can score inside, outside and defend with any team in the country, and they’re led by seniors Ellis and Lucas and juniors Frank Mason, Wayne Selden Jr. and sophomore Graham. Each one of these guys has plenty of tournament experience.
The one thing that the Huskies possess that Kansas doesn’t have is length. Hamilton, Purvis and Amida Brimah have extremely long arms which allows them to get into passing lanes and alter shots. It’s a big reason why the Huskies have the No. 15 defense in the country.
Despite the difference in seeding, this game should be really entertaining. Connecticut is playing their best basketball of the season right now, and the Jayhawks have lost in the second round of the tournament two years in a row.
That being said, this is the best Kansas team Self has had in years, and they have too many leaders to let it happen three years in a row. Look for Ellis, Selden and Mason to step up as the Jayhawks advance to the Sweet 16 in a close one.
Prediction: Kansas 77, UConn 72
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