I predict after his career is over that he will be considered the best coach to ever coach at Kansas.

UK got the #1 overall seed for the NIT.

Congrats Cal.

Isn't he already?

In another 20 years after he's won 4 or 5 more NC's? Yeah.

Relaxing with the wifey, watching a movie. I'm always a mess during tournament time it gets me going 1,000mph so I'm relaxing as much as possible until Friday. It's not crazy, it's sports lol.

The brackets are out! Make sure you download your bracket here. Kansas received the number two overall No. 1 seed and they’re heading to Kansas City on Friday in the South Region to take on Western Kentucky. That is all that is guaranteed for Kansas so far.

However, I’m here to break-down all the teams in the South Region and their chances to face Kansas along the way. Let’s get going:

Kansas vs. Western Kentucky - Friday, March 22nd, 2013

Western Kentucky is the No. 16 seed in the South Region and were 20-15 in the 2012-13 season. They finished 4th in the Sun Belt Conference East (sixth overall). They ended up winning the Sun Belt Conference Tournament by defeating Florida International on March 11th, 65-63.

Western Kentucky is 0-4 against teams in the field of 68:

Lost to Louisville 78-55
Lost to VCU 76-44
Lost to Middle Tenn. State 70-62 and 72-53
Quick Facts:

Kenpom Rank: 183
Kenpom Adjusted Offense Rank: 177
Kenpom Adjusted Defense Rank: 182
Kenpom Tempo: 182

RealTimeRPI RPI Rank: 149
RealTimeRPI SOS Rank: 160
RealTimeRPI Sun Belt Conference RPI: 15 (that’s bad)

Good Wins: None
Bad Losses: Florida Atlantic (twice), Murray State, Arkansas Little Rock, Florida International

Player to Watch For: T.J. Price (15.3 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, 2.4 assists per game). The sophomore has been on fire since February started (in 12 games, he has scored in double figures in 10 of them). He has had nine 15+ point or more performances since February began, including six 20+ point performances.

Prediction: This isn’t even a question. There has never been a No. 16 that has beat a No. 1 seed. It is not happening on Friday night in Kansas City. Kansas moves on to the Round of 32 on Sunday.

Round of 32 Potential Match-ups (Sunday, March 24th):

No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 9 Villanova

North Carolina:

Kenpom Rank: 28
Kenpom Adjusted Offense Rank: 27
Kenpom Adjusted Defense Rank: 47
Kenpom Tempo: 16

RealTimeRPI RPI Rank: 17
RealTimeRPI SOS Rank: 10
RealTimeRPI Conference RPI: 4

Good Wins: UNLV, North Carolina State, Miami
Bad Losses: Texas

If Kansas plays North Carolina on Sunday, it’ll be the third matchup in the NCAA tournament between KU and UNC in the last five years. Bill Self has gotten the best of Roy Williams both times. This game isn’t as high-stakes as the previous two, however. Of course, Kansas beat UNC in the 2008 Final Four and in the 2013 Elite Eight. There were questions of UNC’s tournament chances a month ago but they’ve won seven of their last ten games. They just lost to Miami in the ACC Tournament Final. Carolina finished third in the ACC and their regular season was 24-10 and 12-6 in the ACC.

Carolina has a team that can give the Jayhawks a fit because they have a small guard lineup and that limits Jeff Withey’s ability to change the game defensively. However, Bill Self has proven he can beat talented Carolina teams in the past and the Jayhawks are a clearly superior team.

Villanova:

Kenpom Rank: 45
Kenpom Adjusted Offense Rank: 94
Kenpom Adjusted Defense Rank: 24
Kenpom Tempo: 93

RealTimeRPI RPI Rank: 52
RealTimeRPI SOS Rank: 21
RealTimeRPI Conference RPI: 3

Good Wins: Louisville, Syracuse, Marquette, Georgetown
Bad Losses: Columbia, Seton Hall

Villanova comes out of the Big East with a 20-13 record and a 10-8 Big East record. That record should not fool you, however. They’re a solid team and they’ve proven they can beat good teams as they’ve taken out Louisville (No. 1 overall seed), Syracuse, Marquette and Georgetown, all No. 4 seeds or better. They’ve had some bad losses. However, they were early in the season.

Prediction: North Carolina beats Villanova and faces Kansas on Sunday.

Potential Sweet 16 Opponents:

No. 5 Seed VCU:

Kenpom Rank: 21
Kenpom Adjusted Offense Rank: 19
Kenpom Adjusted Defense Rank: 43
Kenpom Tempo: 63

RealTimeRPI RPI Rank: 24
RealTimeRPI SOS Rank: 49
RealTimeRPI Conference RPI: 7

Good Wins: Memphis, Belmont, Butler
Bad Losses: Missouri

VCU finished the season 26-8 overall and 12-4 in the Atlantic 10. They finished second to St. Louis in the regular season and in the postseason tournament. This potential matchup gives Kansas a shot at revenge for 2011. The Rams took down Kansas in the 2011 Elite 8, 71-61. Think Bill Self remembers Shaka Smart? You bet he does. Their play style is a tough matchup for the 2013 Jayhawks. However, VCU needs to take care of business against Akron and Michigan before they get a shot at KU.

No. 12 Akron

Kenpom Rank: 54
Kenpom Adjusted Offense Rank: 89
Kenpom Adjusted Defense Rank: 33
Kenpom Tempo: 135

RealTimeRPI RPI Rank: 47
RealTimeRPI SOS Rank: 131
RealTimeRPI Conference RPI: 17 (that’s bad)

Good Wins: Middle Tenn. St,
Bad Losses: Coastal Carolina, Kent. St, Buffalo

Akron finished 26-6 this season, and won the Mid-American regular season (14-2) and postseason championships. VCU shouldn’t have a problem with the Zips

No. 4 Michigan

Kenpom Rank: 11
Kenpom Adjusted Offense Rank: 2
Kenpom Adjusted Defense Rank: 58
Kenpom Tempo: 215

RealTimeRPI RPI Rank: 19
RealTimeRPI SOS Rank: 45
RealTimeRPI Conference RPI: 2

Good Wins: Pittsburgh, Kansas State, NC State, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State, Michigan State
Bad Losses: Penn State

Michigan finished the season with a lot of problems. They finished fourth in the Big Ten with a 26-7 overall record and a 12-6 conference record. Since February, they’ve lose to Indiana twice, Wisconsin twice, Michigan State, and Penn State (ouch). So they’re 6-6 in their last 12 games after starting the season with 16 straight wins. Trey Burke was the Big Ten Player of the Year and will most likely be in the top three for National Player of the Year. He’s a great point guard and if he lives up to his hype, he should help the Wolverines face the Jayhawks in the Sweet 16.

No. 13 South Dakota State

Kenpom Rank: 102
Kenpom Adjusted Offense Rank: 39
Kenpom Adjusted Defense Rank: 209
Kenpom Tempo: 258

RealTimeRPI RPI Rank: 62
RealTimeRPI SOS Rank: 175
RealTimeRPI Conference RPI: 19 (that’s bad)

Good Wins: Montana, Belmont, New Mexico (!)
Bad Losses: South Dakota, Hofstra, Oakland, CSU Bakersfield, Murray St.

South Dakota State finished the season with a 25-9 record, including a 13-3 record in the Summit League Conference. They beat North Dakota State to win the Summit League Championship postseason tournament. They’ve had some really good wins, especially their win over No. 3 seed New Mexico in the Pit. But they’ve also lost to Hofstra… That’s not good. Nate Wolters is a huge scoring threat but Michigan shouldn’t have a problem disposing of these Jackrabbits.

Elite Eight Potential Match-ups:

No offense to Florida Golf Coast, Oklahoma, San Diego State, and Northwestern State, I’m not going to break them down to reach the Elite Eight. If they want to use this as motivation to win their first three games of the tournament, fine by me.

No. 2 Seed Georgetown

Kenpom Rank: 12
Kenpom Adjusted Offense Rank: 62
Kenpom Adjusted Defense Rank: 4
Kenpom Tempo: 313

RealTimeRPI RPI Rank: 10
RealTimeRPI SOS Rank: 17
RealTimeRPI Conference RPI: 3

Good Wins: UCLA, Louisville, Marquette, Syracuse (twice)
Bad Losses: South Florida

Georgetown is my pick to face off against Kansas in the Elite 8. Otto Porter Jr vs. Ben McLemore will be a great potential match-up, as they may be the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2013 NBA Draft.

No. 3 Seed Florida

Kenpom Rank: 1
Kenpom Adjusted Offense Rank: 5
Kenpom Adjusted Defense Rank: 2
Kenpom Tempo: 299

RealTimeRPI RPI Rank: 6
RealTimeRPI SOS Rank: 24
RealTimeRPI Conference RPI: 8

Good Wins: Wisconsin, Marquette
Bad Losses: Missouri

Florida is a team that can win the National Championship and they’re a team that could potentially lose in the Round of 64 or 32. They’re 0-6 in games decided by nine points or less… so I don’t really like their chances in a high-pressure tournament. Their offense and defense is highly rated in Kenpom and their RPI is great. However, they played in the weak SEC that didn’t really give them many tests. They blew out a lot of teams.

They lost to Kansas State in the Sprint Center back in December. They also lost to Missouri. I just don’t think they’re good enough to make it to the Elite 8. If they do face off against Kansas, I really like the Jayhawks’ chances. Bill Self always keeps games close and Florida can’t get it done in close games.

No. 6 Seed UCLA

Kenpom Rank: 44
Kenpom Adjusted Offense Rank: 38
Kenpom Adjusted Defense Rank: 65
Kenpom Tempo: 35

RealTimeRPI RPI Rank: 29
RealTimeRPI SOS Rank: 20
RealTimeRPI Conference RPI: 6

Good Wins: Arizona (three times)
Bad Losses: Cal Poly

I think UCLA has a team that can go to the Sweet 16 but can also lose their first game. Minnesota is a better team, in my opinion and I’m picking the Golden Gophers to get that 11 over 6 upset.

No. 11 Seed Minnesota

Kenpom Rank: 23
Kenpom Adjusted Offense Rank: 26
Kenpom Adjusted Defense Rank: 42
Kenpom Tempo: 288

RealTimeRPI RPI Rank: 34
RealTimeRPI SOS Rank: 4
RealTimeRPI Conference RPI: 2

Good Wins: Memphis, South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Indiana
Bad Losses: Northwestern, Nebraska, Purdue

Minnesota was one of those teams that got a lot of praise early in the season and rightfully so. Their only lose until mid-January was to Duke. Then they had a tough time in Big Ten Conference play. To be fair, the Big Ten is one of the best conferences in the country. However, they took a couple bad losses to Northwestern, Nebraska and Purdue. With Tubby Smith at the helm, they certainly have a coaching staff that knows how to win it all. I have them knocking off No. 6 UCLA and they’re going to give Florida a tough time in the Round of 32.

South Region Prediction:

Kansas prevails in the South region. They will take down Western Kentucky, North Carolina, Michigan,and Georgetown on their way to their second straight Final Four.

And they have to travel to Robert Morris since Rupp is being used for the Regional.

I hope UK loses.

Thoughts y'all? How far do we get?

E8.

Georgetown?

Or Florida.

This. Anything else will be gravy.

Tough road to go, but I am going to say the Championship game just based on our defense. IMHO, the toughest game we face is VCU if we meet them, outside shooters. UNC can play small making it tough as well, but I think we prevail.

KU vs UL will be an epic battle, I hope we get to see it.

VCU doesn't make it past Michigan.

I'd love that match up. Siva would lose it all by himself. Dude is a head case.

Don't turn it over vs. VCU and they're beat.

According to the KUSports.com BB KU plays @ 7:05 Fri. night.

Just got done browsing through the MU thread and all I can say is lol. LMAO

I really hope that happens, except replace Georgetown with Florida..... it would be two weekends of great basketball.

I would absolutely agree with this sentiment.

@SethDavisHoops: My Final Four picks ICYMI: Louisville, New Mexico, Kansas, Miami. Louisville over Miami

Lol I think KU matches up great with both Miami and Louisville. Siva is terrible.

I was a little off they play at 8:50 Fri. night.

http://www2.kusports.com/

Surprised the time is already out. Usually they don't set those until monday.

I'm a KU homer and can admit the genius that is Bill Snyder at KSU. I'm curious if KSU fans recognize the same in Bill Self?

It was a great day when Roy left, as butt hurt as I was about it at the time.

I'm not a big fan of our bracket to start, I love it after the 1st weekend though.

Anybody else rooting for every Big 12 team in the tournament aside from KU to bow out in their first game? After browsing the Big 12 message boards the KU butthurt is so strong. Eff em. I hope they all lose their opening game.

KU's projected opponents and their 3PA%/national rank in 3PA% (bolded top 100):
WKU (36.4%, 78)
UNC (30.7%, 243)/Villanova (35.3%, 108)
Michigan (34.0%, 151)/South Dakota St. (36.4%, 78)/Akron (36.6%, 71)/VCU (36.2%, 83)
Florida (40.4%, 31)/Northwestern St. (29.7%, 267)/Minnesota (29.7%, 268)/UCLA (23.8%, 334)/SDSU (32.4%, 187)/OU (26.4%, 311)/Georgetown (32.6%, 184)/Florida Gulf Coast (34.8%, 125)


For reference, 43.9% of ISU's shots are threes (9th ranked nationally). The more threes a team take, the more difficult it is for KU's defense to make a major impact on the game and the more luck there is involved in the outcome. While WKU isn't a good team (183 in KenPom), they're kind of a difficult 16 in that regard. As for the 2nd round, UNC is playing quite well recently so that could potentially be a difficult game, but their style (quick, many possessions, lower percentage of threes) plays more into what KU does than most of these teams. Florida would prove to be a really difficult opponent in the E8 if both teams get that far as they limit the possessions and also take a ton of threes.

WKU (183) is also the 4th worst team in the field according to KenPom (behind three teams that are in play-in games: Liberty (251), NC A&T (226), LIU Brooklyn (185)). His system gives KU a 95% chance of winning on Friday.

Of course, KU lost to a worse team than this during the regular season already, so nothing is guaranteed. And obviously a worse team than WKU even won a game last year (Norfolk St.). Playing in KC certainly won't hurt their chances, though.

Meh. I like to see the Big 12 as a whole do well in the tourney, but I don't lose sleep over anyone else losing.

You worried about ole Roy in the 2nd game? He's a great coach but at the same time Bill Self seems to have his number. Not saying the UNC couldn't beat us. They definitely could. But I just think the odds are definitely in KU's favor should that matchup happen.

On the other hand, we could end up playing Villanova. I don't know much about 'Nova.

No, not really. I hope the conference has a strong showing.

That Florida team looks tough. Their 3 point shooting would be very difficult for KU. But they did play in the crappy SEC so those numbers could be skewed a bit. Either way, if KU goes up against a really good 3 point team they should be prepared after beating ISU 3 times this season.

Is this bad for Roy Williams' Heels? Or do they use this as a no respect angle?

I wonder if the TNT feeds on the march madness website will be blacked out locally? I don't get that channel.

Nobody in this conference ever roots for KU to do well in March, don't fool yourself. There's no reason to like people who don't like you.

I know that. But the perception if the conference teams do well is kind of important. However, in the end I just hope KU does well. :thumb:

We just don't have the same kinda gay, man-love that the SEC & Big 10 have when it comes to cheering on "conference mates". That's what gay people do. (Or schools that can't rely on their own accomplishments)

OkSt -- Meh, kind of annoying to watch.
KSU -- Make some noise. Beat Wisconsin. :cuss:
ISU -- It would be great to see them knock off Ohio State, but don't really care otherwise.
Oklahoma -- Meh.. it would be cool if they could take out Georgetown though.

Overall, any rooting interest one way or the other is more about knocking out teams I don't want to watch, and not so much conference pride or wanting them to lose.

I want all the big 12 teams to win one game at least.

Makes the Big 12 conference look better, which makes KU look better.

How does OU beating San Diego State make KU 'look better' ?

Because the tougher looking the dude is that you just beat up - the tougher you look.

A lot of "experts" are picking Louisville.

I can't say I'm upset about that.

What's your thoughts on potentially playing Nova? I haven't seen them much this year. I know they've beaten like 5 top 5 teams in a row or something crazy like that.

I'm just hoping KU doesn't play VCU - their press would kill EJ at the point.

In case anyone is interested. Game times.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/schedules

Serious question for KU homers,would you take your team -20 in the first round?

I wouldnt. I mean, I think its a blow out. But when it gets late in games he empties the bench and the bench players are pure comedy.

The coaches' sons are not good.

I'm not too excited about playing the last game of the day. IIRC, that was the situation for both Bucknell and Bradley.

They are always good for a laugh though

That 6:50 tip time in Vegas screws up my stand-up comedy plans :cuss:

Detroit last year, too.

It may end up that way, but I don't know that I would bet on it. WKU had a lot of injuries during the season. They have been healthy and playing much better the past 3 weeks.

Meh, I'm pretty sure it was also the same deal when KU made Final Fours.

I know we played the first game of the day in the first round when we won it in 2008. Don't recall the others. I'm probably just looking for reasons to be pessimistic.

Actually I believe we played the last possible time slot all the way to the title game.

The last game of the day = great ratings... and lots of visibility for the program.

Win Win... unless, we lose lose.

Luckily, Western Kentucky doesn't start with the dreaded 'B'.

It's funny, we all get worried about teams that jack up 3's, but in KU's 5 losses, none of them have been to teams that do that. I mean I know there were some pretty dramatic things that had to happen to win 2 of the 3 ISU games, but Belmont was supposed to give us trouble, Richmond, and it seems like there was another non con who was supposed to push KU.

As for VCU, it's a different year. If we play them, it will be after at least 4 days of preparation and rest. I trust Self to game plan for that. And that KU team in 2011 was cocky enough to take VCU lightly. I don't think this one would. I'm actually not as worried about the path as I usually am. I'd rather this KU group be challenged by tough matchups on paper, it seems like that's when they step up and focus and play their best.

KU is 40th in 3-pt FG defense out of 347 D1 programs. We defend the 3 just fine. In a one-and-done format, sure: someone can get hot. Happens all the time. Makes the tourney fun. VCU and Mich can absolutely get hot and knock us out. However, them getting hot is less likely than us shutting them down.

Other than Jay Williams no one has picked us to advance past the sweet 16, kind of strange(in a good way) if you ask me.

Youre not funny, so I don't see how that screws up anything...

KK sez KU will cakewalk against WKU, and run NC out of the gym, laugh at Roy Williams, etc etc etc.

Is he baiting you? Or do you think he's right?

After TCU, I'm taking nothing for granted.

He's right, I think if we get past Michigan we make the final four.

This. I could see us losing to UNC/Villanova... or winning it all. It really depends on which team shows up... and how motivated they are.

I haven't filled out that bracket, yet.

This team will not play like TCU in the big dance. 4 Seniors man, 4!

In four brackets, KU and Indiana are the only teams I have in the E8 in all four.....Given the history of my brackets, that probably doesn't bode well for them.

Anybody going to the games this weekend? How much are tickets running?

I personally hope we run into UNC. Bill owns Roy

Baylor is too fresh in my memory for me to feel confident about that. We may have four seniors, but they are still 22-24 year old kids. Plus, this team is more inconsistent than any I have seen from Self. At their best (when McLemore is on fire), I believe they could compete with the 2008 squad. At their worst, I feel any other KU squad could give them a run for their money.

However, if Perry Ellis continues to give us that post presence we've been craving all season, we could make a serious push for a return trip to the final four.

ummmm... We had already won the Big 12.....Baylor had 2 guys shoot 22-26 from the field...22-26..I don't see that happening in the tournament..ever.

Duh...WINNING!!!!!!!!!

(Western Kentucky vs. Kansas, 9:50 p.m. ET (TNT)(Albert/Kerr/Sager)

WOOT!! love that announcer combo!

come on now ... i want them to win another NC too but this team can win or lose any game they play.

They tend to turn the ball over and their shooting is inconsistent.

If we shoot well we can win the whole thing, but if we play one of those games were we can't hit shit then we can lose to just about anyone. Reality.

We will be fine, most top 50 wins of ANYONE in the tourney. We're also not playing in Oklahoma City.

I agree with this. However, the defense is usually there. And that often times makes all the difference. Just look at their run to the title game last year for proof. But I'm not predicting them to get that far this year. This team is just too hard to predict.

Self's teams have always turned over the ball a lot, and they're 14th in the country in FG%, so I don't think think they're any more of a risk to have a bad night shooting than any other team.

I think the whole TCU thing is overblown... it was a really bad loss during a bad week. I know losing to OSU in 2008 doesn't really compare, because even though they were pretty bad, they weren't that terrible.... but, I don't think they'll be lacking in motivation or effort against any team that's ranked 8 or lower. I worry a little about them coming out flat against Villanova or the double-digit seeds.

They were the 2nd overall #1 and might have been the the number one overall had it not been for TCU. That said, it has been a crazy year and there's no clear favorite... but, I don't think they're any more likely to be upset than any other team just because they lost to TCU 6 weeks ago.

Actually, I think this team is peaking at the right time. I like our chances right now.

Again, this is something you can not take for granted. The 2010 team was selected by everyone and the moon to be a sure thing for the Final Four...and we all remember what happened there.

stubhub.com ...your source for price gouging.

Full strips are starting around $350-400 for baseline upper level. The Sunday session has some decent upper level prices at ~$200 ($100/game), but the good seats are at least 2-3 times that.