Kansas Basketball: Three keys for the Jayhawks to avoid a first round upset
By Shaun Gordon
Kansas takes on Penn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. While an upset isn’t likely, the Jayhawks need to do three things to make sure they survive and advance.
It’s never happened before. No 16-seed has ever beaten a No. 1 seed.
And it’s not likely to happen this year.
One of these days a 16-seed will finally pull off the upset, and it’s safe to say that no team wants to be the first 1-seed to fall.
Especially not Kansas.
The Jayhawks already have a perceived history of falling short of expectations in the NCAA Tournament. If they fall to Penn this year in the opening round it would cement that perception as a reality.
Fortunately, there are three things that Kansas can do to ensure that they don’t end up on the wrong side of the history books.
1. Play Defense
This one may seem obvious, but it’s a serious concern.
The Jayhawks have one of the elite offenses in the country. Their defense, on the other hand, is statistically average.
Kansas gives up nearly 71 points per game, which barely cracks the Top-150 in the nation. They’ve made a living out of outscoring teams, and they’ve done that successfully all year.
But Penn is no slouch on either end of the court. They’re a Top-100 team both offensively and defensively. They score more than 76 points per contest, just five points less than the Jayhawks.
Statistically, the Quakers are two points better than the Jayhawks on the defensive end each game. They could do just enough to disrupt the Kansas offense, and if the Jayhawks struggle to shoot the ball, it will be their defense that must step up.
Speaking of shooting the ball…