LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball’s now enjoying a six-game winning streak in Big 12 Conference play, and that’s continued to place the Jayhawks in an advantageous position for the NCAA tournament.
March Madness continues to draw closer, and No. 11 KU (17-5, 7-2 in Big 12) is showing its early struggles in the Big 12 aren’t defining its season. Kansas hasn’t totally escaped having to deal with injury issues with freshman standout Darryn Peterson, but Monday on the road at No. 13 Texas Tech the Jayhawks did see Peterson hit a pair of 3s late to help KU come away with a 64-61 win. It’s a victory that can help change the conversation around what seed-line the Jayhawks should be on when the NCAA tournament beings.
Looking forward, Kansas doesn’t play again until Saturday at home against Utah. That should be a matchup KU coach Bill Self and his program are heavily favored in, considering their recent success and Utah’s deficiencies. A six-game winning streak could very soon become seven.
Before that next Big 12 matchup tips off for the Jayhawks, though, as of Tuesday here are some NCAA tournament projections for Kansas.
USA TODAY — No. 4 seed
This projection places Kansas as the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region, with a round of 64 matchup against No. 13 seed UC Irvine. Win, and the Jayhawks earn a contest against either No. 5 seed Virginia or No. 12 seed Belmont. Continue to advance and there’s the potential for one of the more high-profile matchups the NCAA tournament could see this year, because Michigan would be the No. 1 seed in this region.
CBS Sports – No. 3 seed
This projection keeps Kansas in the Midwest Region, but this time as the No. 3 seed with a round of 64 matchup against No. 14 seed Wright State. Win, and the Jayhawks have the chance to go up against No. 6 seed North Carolina in the next round — which would be a rematch of a game KU lost on the road earlier this season. Reach the Sweet 16, and Kansas could potentially go up against No. 2 seed UConn — the only team to defeat KU inside Allen Fieldhouse so far this season.
Washington Post — No. 4 seed
Thie projection moves Kansas to the East Region and has the Jayhawk as a No. 4 seed with a round of 64 matchup against No. 13 seed High Point. Win, and the Jayhawks would have an opportunity for a rematch against No. 5 seed Tennessee — a team KU beat earlier this season at a neutral site — or No. 12 seed Belmont. A rematch against No. 1 seed Duke could be waiting for the Jayhawks in the Sweet 16, and a chance for Kansas to avenge a neutral site loss earlier this season.
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: Kansas basketball bracketology, March Madness projections for KU