Arkansas and Kansas will face off in a 7-seed vs. 10-seed matchup in Providence, Rhode Island, for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In the preseason, the Razorbacks and Jayhawks played at Bud Walton Arena, where Arkansas won 85-69.
“All I’m thinking about is where we were, threw us in the coffin, forgot the nails, and we bust out somehow,” head coach John Calipari said. “I’ve had real fun with this team, mainly because they are good guys.”
Previewing Kansas
Kansas entered the season ranked No. 1 in the country but had a less-than-expected season, finishing sixth in the Big 12. The Jayhawks have two players averaging over 10 points per game and are led by senior big man Hunter Dickinson. He is averaging a double-double with 17.6 points and 10 rebounds per game while shooting 53.2% from the field, 74.4% from the free-throw line, and 27.8% from three-point range. Zeke Mayo is the Jayhawks’ second-leading scorer with 14.5 points per game.
As a team, Kansas is scoring 76.2 points per game on 47.1% shooting from the field, 71.1% from the free-throw line, and 35.2% from three-point range. The Jayhawks run their offense through veteran guard Dajuan Harris Jr., who leads the team with 5.7 assists per game and causes problems for opposing guards with a team-high 1.4 steals per game.
Previewing Arkansas
The Razorbacks will have freshman guard Boogie Fland available for this game after he underwent surgery following the loss to Missouri on Jan. 18 and was ruled out indefinitely. Since Adou Thiero’s injury on Feb. 22, Arkansas has been using a seven-man rotation, and Fland’s return adds much-needed depth.
“His [Boogie Fland] hand was bothering him a little bit, so he went light,” Calipari said. “I’m trying to think of the rotation. It was a great story when he came and said, ‘I’m going to be able to go, but I don’t want to hurt the team.’ I said, ‘Yeah, you can help us. We only have seven guys.’”
Since losing their top two scorers, the rest of the Razorbacks’ roster has stepped up. Trevon Brazile started the season slow but has averaged 12 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals over the last six games. Jonas Aidoo has also stepped up with three double-doubles in the last five games. DJ Wagner and Johnell Davis, who have carried much of the load since Fland’s injury, will now benefit from added depth.
Coaching History
Kansas’ Bill Self and Arkansas’ John Calipari have plenty of history, most notably having beaten each other in national championship games—Self’s Kansas team defeated Calipari’s Memphis squad in 2008, while Calipari led Kentucky to a title over Self’s Kansas team in 2012. Both coaches are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, setting the stage for an intriguing first-round matchup.
“Playing someone that I really respect and have a friendship with is hard in this thing,” Calipari said. “It’s hard because both of us are going to try to beat the other guy’s brains in, and then after it’s over, you’re going to feel bad for 12 seconds and then move on thinking about the next game.”
Broadcast Information
Time: 6:10 p.m. CST
Date: March 20
Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, R.I.
TV: CBS
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