KU basketball fans still have rooting interest in Final Four — 3 of them, actually

By Matt Tait     Apr 2, 2016

Kansas fans celebrate during filming of the ESPN College GameDay at Allen Fieldhouse, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, hours before the tip-off between KU and ]Kentucky men's basketball game.

For those KU basketball fans who have not sworn off college hoops and crawled into a cave until October, when another season rolls around, this weekend’s Final Four offers a trio of intriguing rooting options.

With that in mind, I checked in with a dozen of the most die-hard KU fans I know to find out who they’re pulling for to take home the national title now that their beloved Jayhawks are no longer in the running.

The options:

**• Roy Williams and North Carolina –** Old habits die hard and if KU can’t win it, why not pull for the man who won 418 games in 15 seasons and led Kansas to four Final Fours. Enough time has passed between Ol’ Roy’s departure and today that going this route has become easier for most.

**• Buddy Hield and Oklahoma –** Big 12 pride runs deep around here these days and it seems safe to say that many KU fans would pull for just about any Big 12 team in the Final Four. Add to that the fact that OU star Buddy Hield has the utmost respect from the KU fan base and is as good of a guy as there ever has been in college basketball and this option becomes even more appealing. Besides, the Big 12 winning it all only further validates KU’s 12th consecutive Big 12 title and postseason tourney triumph.

Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield (24) puts up a shot while guarded by Kansas guard Frank Mason III (0) with seconds remaining in the game during the second half, Monday, Jan. 4, 2016 at Allen Fieldhouse.

**• Jay Wright and Villanova –** Believe it or not, there are some sports fans out there — even within Jayhawk Nation — who make it a rule to root for the team that knocked their team out. This, of course, makes the season-ending loss easier to swallow even if getting over the heartbreak of losing to said team can be a major challenge.

So there are the options because, as you all know, there’s probably not a single KU fan out there who would pull for Jim Boeheim and Syracuse, even if they are a double-digit-seeded underdog and even if it has been 13 years since that tough loss to the Orange in the title game.
Let’s see what a few of these fine folks had to say.

> “I’m rooting for OU over Nova because
> I love Buddy and really didn’t enjoy
> the Nova fans. And I’m rooting for UNC
> over ‘Cuse because I just like them
> better overall. If OU and UNC meet in
> the final, I will pull for Roy because
> I think it’s time for him to hang it
> up and go out on top. I still love him
> and I also don’t want to listen to OU
> fans throw the national championship
> in our face.” **– 40-year-old female Lawrence resident.**

> “I am cheering for OU. I like Buddy
> and (OU coach) Lon (Kruger), plus I think it helps the Big
> 12 brand a little bit.” **– 32-year-old male Shawnee resident.**

> “I think the best team is North
> Carolina, but that’s not the team I’m
> going to root for. I’m going to root
> for Villanova because I like the way
> they play better than anyone else and
> I think their big guys are better than
> I thought they were.” **– 65-year-old male Lawrence resident.**

> “Oklahoma because I think they always
> give every game their all and they
> share the ball a lot. They are great
> guys and I think they are going to go
> all the way.” **– 11-year-old female New Jersey resident.**

> “I have some very close connections to
> North Carolina and, obviously, Roy
> gave us 15 great years, so I love
> those guys and I root for them now. So
> there’s a part of me that wants them
> to win, but, boy, I like Buddy Hield,
> too. How do you root against that guy?
> I don’t think you can. Normally, I
> would root for UNC, but I probably
> want Buddy Hield to win a national
> championship.” **– 43-year-old male Lawrence resident.**

> “I’m not rooting for anyone now. My
> heart always breaks when the season
> ends with anyone but Kansas on top.
> The tournament is over in my mind.
> It’s also possible I’m a sore loser.” **– 31-year-old female Lawrence resident.**

> “I was hoping Virginia was going to
> beat Syracuse and then I would’ve been
> fine with any of the four winning it
> because I really like all four of
> those teams and coaches. But I’d like
> to see Carolina win it. As a KU fan, I
> think it’d be nice to see the best
> team left rewarded by winning it all.” **– 36-year-old male North Carolina resident.**

> “Definitely OU. Lon Kruger is nothing
> but class and has really done an
> amazing job in Norman. His players
> reflect his demeanor. They play hard
> with respect for the game and their
> opponents. There is no better
> representative of what college
> basketball should be than Buddy Hield.
> If KU isn’t going to have its One
> Shining Moment then I hope OU does.” **– 40-year-old male New Jersey resident.**

> “My heart says to pull for OU due to
> conference ties and the class act of
> the coach and players. And that’s
> probably all that matters. But
> pocketbook-wise, I’ll finish in second
> place and win $30 in the the
> “investment” pool I’m in if Syracuse
> wins one game or Villanova wins it
> all.” **– 59-year-old female Independence, Mo., resident.**

> “I’m cheering for Oklahoma because
> Buddy Hield is the rare non-KU player
> who you wish was a Jayhawk. And even
> though they once were at Kansas State,
> Lon Kruger and Steve Henson are both
> native Kansans and their success helps
> make our state look good.” **– 38-year-old male Lawrence resident.**

> “Roy. He’s family. Also, watching the
> Tar Heels makes me nostalgic for his
> era of Jayhawks. Basically, after we
> beat the Tar Heels in 2008, it healed
> all wounds with Roy ever since.” **– 36-year-old female Fairway resident.**

> “I’m actually currently in Norman,
> Oklahoma, so I will be rooting for OU.
> However, that is partly because the
> Nova fans were a bit arrogant in
> Louisville and that made me want them
> to lose. If OU does win Saturday, I
> don’t want them to win it all because
> I don’t want a Big 12 school to be
> national champs if it isn’t Kansas.” **– 41-year-old male Lawrence resident.**

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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.