Bracketology 2021: Duke, Kansas, and Florida State among big winners

By Joey Loose | Feb 21, 2021

Feb 20, 2021; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) shoots the ball against Kansas Jayhawks forward Jalen Wilson (10) and guard Christian Braun (2) during the second half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /

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Bracketology Kansas Jayhawks Ochai Agbaji Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Kansas

We can’t yet write about an 8-13 Kentucky team and we’ve already looked closely at Duke, but there’s another Blue Blood turning things around. Quietly, Kansas has reemerged, even if much of the attention in a very tough Big 12 has been stolen by that talented Baylor squad.

The Jayhawks picked up a pair of wins this week, running their winning streak up to five. On Wednesday, they took care of rival Kansas State on the road, though besting the Wildcats these days isn’t exactly impressive. On Saturday, they were impressive, holding off #15 Texas Tech to get their sixth ranked win of the season. David McCormack had 17 points in the win.

Kansas is now 17-7, with their 11-5 mark putting them at 3rd in the Big 12. Catching Baylor is pretty unlikely, but the Jayhawks (who fell out of the top 25 earlier this month) will see their #23 ranking rise next week and their bracketology stock much improving. Winning five straight in February always helps the resume late in the season and this Kansas team can still work their way into a top 4 seed.

Looking ahead, the Jayhawks have a chance to avenge earlier losses in rematches with Texas and Baylor, and wins in those games would go a long way to securing a very solid spot for them in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas faltered just a few weeks ago, seeming to lose every other game they played, but now the Jayhawks have figured things out. They may not pack the same punch as Baylor but watch out.

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