Kansas-USC to tip off at 8:40 p.m. Monday from Hinkle Fieldhouse

By Matt Tait     Mar 20, 2021

Photo courtesy of NCAA
The teams lineup for the opening tipoff of Saturday's 93-84 first-round NCAA Tournament victory by third-seeded Kansas over No. 14 seed Eastern Washington at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis.

Third-seeded Kansas’ second-round clash with No. 6 seed USC will tip off at 8:40 p.m. central on Monday night at famed Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The game will be televised on CBS, with Ian Eagle, Grant Hill and sideline reporter Jamie Erdahl on the call.

Hinkle Fieldhouse, which is home to Butler University and also the state title scenes in the classic basketball movie Hoosiers, has an actual capacity of 9,100 and an adjusted allowance of 1,250 (14%) for first- and second-round NCAA Tournament games because of social distancing measures.

The timing on Monday’s tipoff is potentially fortuitous for the Jayhawks, who are still hoping to get Jalen Wilson back from COVID-19 isolation in time for their second-round game.

KU coach Bill Self said earlier this week that it was possible Wilson could rejoin the team on Monday but that the tip time would be a key part of whether he would be able to play if cleared.

Wilson, who tested positive nine days ago, has been in Lawrence ever since his positive test that forced the Jayhawks to withdraw from the Big 12 tournament.

Even without him, the Jayhawks moved into the second round with a 93-84 win over 14th-seeded Eastern Washington on Saturday afternoon.

KU freshman Bryce Thompson started in Wilson’s place. And the game also featured the return of KU big man David McCormack from his own COVID-19 isolation.

McCormack scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 25 minutes during the win, with 20 points coming in the second half.

KU improved to 21-8 with the win and will face a USC team that advanced to the second round with a 72-56 victory over Drake.

Check back with KUsports.com throughout the day Sunday and Monday for more on the Jayhawks’ second-round match-up.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.