KU Stays Close To Home

A Preview of the St Louis Region

By Kristi Chartrand

On selection Sunday, less then 24 hours removed from a disappointing loss to Texas, the Kansas Jayhawks learned they had earned a #4 seed in the St. Louis bracket. 

Being a top 4 seed was welcome news for Kansas, and somewhat surprising too most. I, for one thought Kansas would be no better then a 5, and likely would earn a 6 seed. 

The good news for KU was two-fold. It was also announced Bill Self's team would play their first 2 rounds in Kemper Arena, their home away from home. A definite reason for Jayhawk fans to rejoice, but apparently they weren't the only ones. The NCAA knew KU fans would come through, and they'd reap the benefits by filling a yet-to-be sold out arena. Don't think that didn't impact the committee's decision to keep the Jayhawks only 40 miles outside of Lawrence. 

Kansas got a break, but will they take advantage?

The easiest road the Jayhawks will travel in this tourney is I-70 East on their way to Kansas City. The rest of the bracket, that I will still call the Midwest – Ok, fine…no confusion…I’ll succumb and call it the “St. Louis Bracket”. There…I’ll also call it TOUGH!

Here's a look at some of the teams Kansas may have to dispose of if they are to make a 3rd straight Final Four appearance.

Let’s start with top seeded Kentucky.

Remember the Alamo – Tubby Smith does. San Antonio was the site of Tubby’s first and only national championship as the Wildcats head honcho. I thought they would win it all last year, and had Keith Bogans been able to avoid an ankle injury, that thought might’ve become reality. Tubby Smith is one of the most underrated coaches in America. UK is poised, experienced, and balanced – these are all the tools a team needs for a deep tourney run. It's not about superstars; the Wildcats are collectively a bunch of good, solid college basketball players. They’re fundamentally sound at both ends of the floor and one of the best passing teams in the country. At 6-6, Chuck Hayes is one of the most underrated players in the tourney. He’s a stat-sheet-filler who can score, rebound, pass, and play defense. The Wildcats would be a stern challenge for the Jayhawks in the Sweet 16.

The 2^nd seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs are no pushover either and honestly, they have what it takes to go to a Final Four. The Zags, winners of 20-straight games, will play rounds 1 and 2 in Seattle. There'll be no mid-major talk here and "Cinderella" has traded in her glass slipper for the label "tourney favorite". They are deep, experienced, and haven’t lost since December 20th!  The Zags run a myriad of offensive sets under Head Coach Mark Few and have one of the most lethal inside-outside combos in the country in Ronny Turiaf and guard Blake Stepp. With Turiaf unable to compete at full strength, St. Joe's manhandled Gonzaga's guards in the season-opener. Their other loss -- to Stanford. The common denominator in both? Turiaf and frontcourt-mate Cory Violette combined for only 18 points and 20 rebounds in the two losses. The good news here is if they were to face KU it would be in the regional final.

Georgia Tech is the 3-seed, and like Gonzaga, would only face KU in the regional final. Don't be dissuaded by the 9 losses, concentrate on the 23 wins. Any team that goes into Cameron and comes out victorious deserves respect. The Yellow Jackets also have marquee wins vs. UCONN, Maryland, Wake, and North Carolina. Sophomore Jarrett Jack is unquestionably the floor leader on this team. He's as tough as they come and averages 12.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and distributes the ball well with a 5.8 apg average. More importantly, he knows how to win, just ask North Carolina. The much-improved, 7-foot center Luke Schenscher has scored in double figures in 4 of his last 6 games. Though he's only 6-6, Isma'il Muhammad has provided many high-flying highlights for Tech this year. Look out below if he's looking to finish at the rim. All that and we haven't even mentioned BJ Elder, the Yellow Jackets leading scorer, who just torched Duke for 25 points in the ACC tournament. Elder is a powerful guard who's been in double figures in 28 of Tech's 32 games. A Final Four appearance for Paul Hewitt’s squad would not be a stretch.

The 8th seeded Washington Huskies finished 2nd in the Pac-10 with a 19-11 record, which is more then admirable considering they started 0-5 in the conference. Yes, the Pac-10 was down this year, but any team who beats Arizona 3 times is doing something right. The Huskies have 4 wins vs. the top 50 RPI teams and Arizona accounts for 3 of them, Stanford the other. They made the tourney based on those 4 marquee wins and the fact that they finished 14-3 in their last 17 games. The Huskies like to play at a fast pace. Speedy 5-9 guard Nate Robinson is small in size, but huge in game. If you haven't seen him play, make it a point. He's fun to watch and has had some unbelievable dunks this season. Though his stats won't blow you away, he's been the key to Washington's late season success. The Huskies main weakness has been taking care of the basketball which.....

...plays right into the hands of the 9th seeded UAB Blazers. The Blazers like to play as fast as their name and this game could be entertaining. UAB finished as one of the five teams tied at the top of Conference USA, a conference that produced 6 teams with 20 or more wins. Of their 9 losses, 7 were against top 50 RPI teams. The Blazers average almost 12 steals a game, which could mean trouble for Washington. Head Coach Mike Anderson has a balanced and consistent squad, but honestly, I don't see UAB or Washington beating Kentucky.

If anyone knows before I do, please let me know which Providence Friars team will show up.  This is a team I could see getting bounced in the first round or going to the Sweet Sixteen. Neither would surprise me. It's been a puzzling year for the Friars. Though they’ve had marquee wins at UCONN, vs. Illinois, and against Syracuse; they've also lost to Rhode Island, Virginia Tech and finished the season with 3-straight losses. The Friars play an athletic brand of 2-3 zone that could give a team like Kansas fits. Tim Welsh also has one of the best do-everything guys in the country in Ryan Gomes. Gomes can post up or he can face you up and bury a 3. He's an automatic double-double. Gomes has had a great season and without Emeka Okafor may have been the Big East Player Of The Year, but he has struggled lately. Gomes has only scored 33 points in his last 3 games and has been a victim of early foul trouble. Sophomore Donnie McGrath should also be a focal point if you want to beat the Friars. He's a solid point guard but has failed to reach double digits in his last 3 games where he was a mere 5-24 from the field and 2-19 from 3-point range. I'm not convinced they're getting by Pacific, but they do have the type of zone that could give KU problems.

Finally, we come to the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames who are a tough 14 seed, and a formidable opponent for KU. This team is poised, experienced, and senior-laden; so higher seeds BEWARE! Current KU coach Bill Self is familiar with some of UIC's players. Self recruited some of Jimmy Collin’s players while he was at Illinois and he's well aware of how dangerous they can be. I would say playing the game in Kemper gives KU the extra advantage but.....I also never thought Richmond would win in Allen Fieldhouse. In all honesty this is a different Jayhawk team, but if they take the Flames lightly they'll walk out of Kemper very disappointed. The Flames are as hot as their name and Jimmy Collins’ crew has won 12 straight games, and set a school-record for wins with 24. After winning at UW-Milwaukee in the Horizon League title game, they've proven they can get the job done despite a hostile environment. The Horizon League tourney champs are led by Chicago -native, Cedrick Banks. Banks is a 6-3 guard who averages 18.5 ppg and shoots almost 44 percent from 3. It's extremely important for Kansas to get off to a fast start against the Flames. If the Jayhawks allow UIC to get comfortable early, it could be a long day. Should UIC pull off the upset, I believe they'll win their 2nd round game too. A free throw shooting contest in a close game will go to KU; UIC shoots a paltry 63 percent from the line as a team. Another key for Kansas will be to get the ball inside early and often, UIC simply doesn't have the size to match up with Jeff Graves and Wayne Simien.

As for the teams I have yet to mention in this bracket:

Pacific – (15 seed) Something for Jayhawk fans to keep in mind....Pacific beat Nevada this season, something KU was unable to do. Pacific is also the home of Big West Player of the Year Miah Davis. Davis has been the driving force behind the Tigers 14 straight wins and is averaging 18.2 ppg in those games.

Boston College – (6 seed) – I really don’t know how they win or how they’re a 6 seed…but they are. BC plays solid defense and has big Craig Smith inside. In my opinion they are one of the weaker 6 seeds.

Utah – (11 seed) -  The Utes are led by senior Nick Jacobson who did his best Keith Van Horn imitation in the Moutain West title game giving Utah the win at the buzzer. The only thing missing was Rick Majerus’ jubilant jump. Before Majerus resigned, he had adopted Bill Self’s high-low motion offense so some of the sets you see the Utes run may look familiar.

Nevada – (10 seed) – I probably don’t need to tell KU fans much about this team. Kirk Snyder is the real deal and one of the best players people don’t know about. The WAC player of the Year has had 17 games with 20 or more points. The Wolfpack have had some brilliant performances and some bad losses. If the team that played Connecticut and KU shows up, they’ll advance. Oh and by the way, another team in this bracket with a streak on the line, the Wolfpack has won 7 in a row.

Michigan State – (7 seed) – This is a seven seed with one-seed talent. Michigan State has failed to meet expectations but weren’t we having this same conversation last year before the Spartans made a run to the Elite Eight?

Kristi Chartrand

kristi@otcdsl.net

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