Kansas Basketball: 3 keys to beating Providence in Sweet 16 matchup
By Tommy Farmer
On Friday night, Kansas Basketball will face off against the Providence Friars in what should be an exciting Sweet 16 matchup. Kansas enters off a narrow victory over another Big East team in Creighton, while Providence comes in hot off a 28-point blowout win over Richmond. According to WynnBET, Kansas stands as a seven-point favorite over the Friars.
Here are three keys for Kansas if they are to survive and advance to the Elite 8…
Defend the Three-Point Line
Kansas almost saw its season end much earlier than it would have liked to last week against Creighton. Creighton was able to hang around with the top-seeded Jayhawks largely due to their success from the three-point line. The Bluejays shot a staggering 42.9% from behind the arc going 12-28. Unfortunately for them, they only mustered a 9-31 shooting split from shots inside the arc.
Meanwhile, Providence’s lineup is filled with guys who can light it up from three. AJ Reeves, Justin Minaya, Jared Bynum, and Noah Horchler are all solid three-point shooters, and it feels like when the game is on the line that Al Durham is too. In Providence’s second-round game against Richmond, the Friars and Spiders each took 22 threes.
The difference? Providence hit 12 of their 22 attempts, while Richmond hit just 1 of their 22 attempts. Providence will need another hot shooting night to upset the Jayhawks, which means Kansas must do everything in its power to guard Providence well from behind the line.