In the moment’s following their unexpected early exit from the Big 12 tournament, Kansas basketball players sulked inside their temporary Sprint Center locker room Thursday, as they pondered [a quarterfinal loss to TCU][1].
The Jayhawks lamented what they and head coach Bill Self deemed a lackluster defensive stretch with star freshman Josh Jackson serving a one-game suspension, but also tried to begin moving past the team’s fourth loss of the season. Looking ahead to The Big Dance, though, came with questions, and a feeling they could have blown a chance to control their path in the NCAA Tournament.
Senior all-everything point guard Frank Mason III wondered aloud about how KU’s loss to TCU might impact the team’s hierarchy among No. 1 seeds.
“And I think that, you know, if we would’ve done a good job in this tournament we probably would’ve been in the Midwest,” Mason said, implying the Jayhawks (28-4) could have cemented their chances to return to Kansas City, Mo., for games in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, “so we would’ve had home advantage.”
Kansas definitely hasn’t been eliminated from the running for a No. 1 seed and a spot in the Kansas City regional. But the players felt disappointed following the defeat, because they essentially left that decision in the selection committee’s hands, instead of winning three more games and forcing those in charge of the bracket to put the Jayhawks in the most favorable situation.
“We’re not really sure what’s gonna happen now,” Mason added.
Sophomore forward Carlton Bragg Jr., too, said KU’s potential travel plans seemed up in the air due to its conference tournament setback.
“But it’s the tournament,” Bragg added of the upcoming NCAAs. “No matter where we play, we’re just gonna come to compete.”
Although KU’s most recent Sprint Center experience didn’t live up to the team’s expectations, the program is 34-7 all-time in the K.C. arena and 3-1 there this season. So the Jayhawks still hope to play two more games there March 23 and 25.
“For sure,” Bragg said. “Why not just play at home?”
[As Matt Tait detailed][2], KU likely has no reason to worry about dropping to a No. 2 seed when the brackets are unveiled on Sunday, and it’s nearly a foregone conclusion the regular-season Big 12 champions will open March Madness in Tulsa, Okla. But the Jayhawks’ anxiety regarding where they will be sent for regional semifinals and finals — should they handle their business in the rounds of 64 and 32 — has some merit.
A year ago, Villanova ended up in the Louisville regional instead of its hometown of Philadelphia, after losing to Seton Hall in the Big East title game. The Wildcats, who overcame that more difficult road to win the national championship, entered the NCAA Tournament 29-5, but lost their potential No. 1 seed in the East to North Carolina, the ACC’s regular-season and postseason champion.
Could KU end up in the West (San Jose, Calif.), South (Memphis, Tenn.) or East (New York) regional now? When teams don’t make the selection committee’s job easy, one never knows how the road to the Final Four will look.
Senior big man Landen Lucas said the unpredictability the Jayhawks brought upon themselves made them feel worse.
“I think even today we saw how much a Kansas City crowd can help us at times,” Lucas said. “And we knew that, and we came out here and now nothing’s guaranteed. We’ve just gotta hope that our résumé up to this point does us enough to get the seed and the region that we want and go from there.”
Once the Jayhawks learn their bracket fate, Lucas isn’t worried about how they will respond.
“I think either way we’re looking at it just fine,” he said. “I mean, we’ve faced adversity throughout the whole year, so a challenge isn’t too big of a deal. But obviously playing here in front of this crowd would be helpful.”
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2017/mar/09/frustrating-finish-jayhawks-upset-against-tcu-big-/
[2]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2017/mar/10/should-the-jayhawks-be-worried-about-the/
