You couldn’t exactly feel the exuberance dripping from television screens showing the Kansas Jayhawks when the NCAA bracket revealed that KU is a No. 2 seed instead of a top seed. Many faces stayed stonelike, then disappointment of the second-line appointment poured through interviews with media.
“It’s all right,” guard Tyshawn Taylor said. “I don’t think it’s what we played the whole season for, but it’s not bad. I’ve been saying it for a while: Once you get to the tournament, those seedings go away. It’s about the matchups and things like that.”
Kansas has one of the most difficult matchups on its side — national player of the year candidate Thomas Robinson. Robinson, the Big 12 player of the year, is as good as it gets on the block with averages of 17.9 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-10 junior forward has shown up when the Jayhawks have needed him most and has double-doubles in five of his last six games.
Robinson and Taylor give KU the one-two, inside-outside punch most teams try full seasons to carve out. The Jayhawks, who advanced to the Elite Eight last year before losing to VCU, are no strangers to NCAA Tournament success. Wherever the Jayhawks go this season will depend on Robinson taking them there.
Favorite: North Carolina
This is a near tossup between the Tar Heels and the Kansas Jayhawks, which likely would have gotten a top seed had it not lost in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament. But UNC gets the edge here because it has three surefire NBA prospects — maybe four. This team has everything you’re looking for: talent, length, scoring, shot blocking and a coach in Roy Williams who is no stranger to big-time success.
Sleeper: Saint Mary’s
Year after year the Gaels get lost out West in the tiny town of Moraga, Calif., but the basketball this team plays is top shelf. Saint Mary’s boasts a prime-time player in Matthew Dellavedova, the West Coast Conference player of the year who averages 15.6 points and 6.4 assists. Rugged forward Rob Jones averages a double-double of 14.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
Upset alert
North Carolina State over San Diego State. The Aztecs looked shaky down the stretch, and that’s just the kind of team the Wolfpack can pounce on. The Aztecs were taken to overtime by TCU, needed a buzzer-beater to defeat Boise State in the Mountain West Tournament and lost to New Mexico two days later. N.C. State can turn in some head-scratchers as well, but should find a way to pull off the upset here.
Bracket breakdown
This is a region with a lot of good teams, but only two that can be great. Kansas and North Carolina are the overwhelming favorites here, as the Midwest is stuffed with interesting, yet wildly inconsistent teams. Georgetown is a bit of a wild card, and Michigan has proven it can play with the best teams in the country. Still, there’s little real substance in this region.
