John HenryAfter defeating Texas in the Big 12 Tournament championship game, the Kansas University men’s basketball team waited on the floor of the Sprint Center in Kansas City to learn its fate in the NCAA Tournament.
In Lawrence, fans braced themselves for what they hoped would be good news. And, for fans who have followed the team’s successes and struggles this season, it was.
The Jayhawks were named the top seed in the tournament’s Midwest Region and will face No. 16-seed Portland State on Thursday in Omaha, Neb.
Fans at Free State Brewing Co., 636 Mass., were excited to see their team atop one of the four regions, but they expected it.
“I think they’re one of the two best teams in the country,” said Lawrence resident Mick Palmer. “If I were a Las Vegas oddsmaker, I’d give KU the best odds in the tournament right now.”
John HenryPalmer’s brother, Greg, said the team’s performance this season was deserving of a top slot.
“I’m happy with our No. 1 seed. I think we earned it, we deserved it, we got it,” he said.
The Jayhawk faithful said the team’s strength lies in a host of players who can score, defend and overwhelm opponents.
“That’s the beautiful part about this team,” said Bill Woodard, a Lawrence resident. “This team, if they play with the kind of energy they showed this weekend, they’re going to be hard to beat.”
Some fans compared this year’s squad to the 1988 team, which won the national championship.
Lawrence resident Todd Kofford said he thought these Jayhawks were better than the 1988 team.
“Hopefully, with some luck, we’ll make it to the Final Four and cut down some nets in the championship, like in ’88,” he said.
Optimism abounded, and fans squashed any suggestion that the Jayhawks could falter early, as in years past.
“I’m always optimistic,” Amber Nickell said. “It’s been very fun to watch all these boys for years. What a year for KU.”
KU fans walking down Massachusetts Street got an unusual surprise after the announcement, as a float featuring a large Jayhawk on a motorcycle made its way through downtown. The float, made by Kennedy Glass, Inc., was intended for today’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, but Patty Kennedy said she worried rain might ruin the float. Instead, the float, blaring KU fight songs, celebrated three KU victories: Sunday’s Big 12 victory, KU’s top seed and the Jayhawks’ Orange Bowl victory.
