LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball’s winning streak is now nonexistent, after a loss this past Saturday on the road against Iowa State.
The No. 12 Jayhawks (19-6, 9-3 in Big 12) weren’t able to become the first team to defeat the No. 6 Cyclones inside Hilton Coliseum. With the loss, KU suffered its first Big 12 Conference setback in weeks. But considering days earlier Kansas beat No. 4 Arizona at home, the last week wasn’t without any support to coach Bill Self’s team’s résumé.
KU now looks ahead to a game Wednesday on the road against Oklahoma State, as well as a game Saturday at home against Cincinnati. Both matchups will be the first between the two respective programs for Kansas. The Jayhawks should be favored ahead of each one.
Before those games, though, here are some of the most recent NCAA tournament bracketology projections for Kansas as of Tuesday afternoon:
USA TODAY — No. 3 seed
This projection places Kansas as the No. 3 seed in the West Region, with a round of 64 matchup against East Tennessee State. Win, and the Jayhawks would go up against either No. 6 seed Kentucky or No. 11 seed Southern California in the next round. An intriguing Sweet 16 matchup could await KU, considering No. 2 seed Purdue is in the region, too.
ESPN — No. 3 seed
This projection places Kansas as the No. 3 seed in the East Region, with a round of 64 matchup against No. 14 seed Portland State. Win, and the Jayhawks would face either No. 6 seed North Carolina, or No. 11 seeds Santa Clara or TCU, in the next round. Of course, KU and UNC aren’t new to each other this season, as Kansas lost on the road earlier this season against North Carolina.
CBS Sports — No. 3 seed
This projection places Kansas as the No. 3 seed in the South Region, with a round of 64 matchup against No. 14 seed ETSU. Win, and the Jayhawks have the chance at going up against No. 6 seed BYU or No. 11 seed Georgia in the next round. KU has already played and beat BYU this season, at home, but time will tell what a rematch might bring.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Where Kansas basketball sits in bracketology for NCAA tournament