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Tuesday • March 14 • 2023

d be one Self says he coul ners’ in in w t es at of the ‘gre E 3AA KU history. PAG

e The Jayhawks ar e th in ed se p to the West region this year. PAGE 2AA

left died in January, The analyst, who ney. PAGE 8AA tour his mark on the Nick Krug/ Journal-World Photos

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2AA n LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD n TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023

By Matt Tait

I’m just happy that we get to still be able to play.”

lll

mtait@ljworld.com The Kansas men’s basketball team will begin its national title defense as a No. 1 seed. That much was known well before the official announcement on Sunday. What was unknown until Sunday, however, was where the Jayhawks would land in the bracket. Instead of going to the Midwest region, which runs through Kansas City, Missouri, in the third

— Junior guard Dajuan Harris Jr. and fourth rounds, Kansas was sent to the West, which will hold its regional semifinals and final in Las Vegas. Top-seeded Kansas (277) will open the tournament at 1 p.m. Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines against No. 16 seed Howard (23-12). The

game will be televised on TBS. The Jayhawks’ reaction to being sent to the desert was mixed, as they juggled the excitement of being a No. 1 seed one year after winning it all with the disappointment of not getting to play close to home. Sophomore forward KJ Adams said “I’m just shocked that we didn’t get the second overall seed” — the top seed in the Midwest, which went to Houston instead. “It happens sometimes,” Adams said. “I’m

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just excited that we get to play again. We had a tough loss (Saturday) night, but now we’re ready to bounce back and have a good game.” Added junior guard Dajuan Harris Jr.: “I’m just happy that we get to still be able to play. I know we didn’t get the Midwest region, but we’ve got a great fan base. Hopefully they get to travel where we are. We just have to get ready for Howard.”

By Jack McGarr lll

Special to the Journal-World After making the NCAA Tournament field last year for the first time since 2013, the Kansas women’s basketball team missed the cut this year — but the Jayhawks’ season isn’t over yet. Kansas, which was projected to be in the NCAA Tournament Inside: For field throughmore on the out conferJayhawks’ ence play, will WNIT road, instead be see page 1B playing in the WNIT, along with Big 12 foes Kansas State and Texas Tech. The WNIT is scheduled to tip off on Wednesday, and matchups, times and game locations will be announced today. This will be KU’s sixth time playing in the event and its first time since 2011, when the Jayhawks defeated Wichita State in the first round and then lost to Duquesne in the second round. Last week, the Jayhawks lost to TCU, 57-52, in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament. But before that, Brandon Schneider’s squad had won three in a row to end the regular season, including key home wins against Oklahoma State and No. 23 Iowa State.

> WEST, 11AA

Nick Krug/Journal-World File Photo

KANSAS HEAD COACH BILL SELF TALKS WITH HIS PLAYERS DURING A TIMEOUT ON NOV. 28, 2022, AT ALLEN FIELDHOUSE.

> WNIT, 3AA

By Shane Jackson lll

Special to the Journal-World Top-seeded Kansas will kick off its tourney journey this year against Howard — a program that’s back in the Big Dance for the first time in decades, has plenty of depth and can get hot from long range. The 16th-seeded Bison (22-12) are from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, and they earned their spot in the NCAA Tournament field by winning their

conference tourney on Saturday — 65-64 against Norfolk State. Their last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 1992. Only one No. 16 seed in tournament history has beaten a No. 1 seed, but the Jayhawks shouldn’t be taking Howard lightly. For starters, the Bison have shown that they can be dangerous from long range. They rank 31st in the country in 3-point percentage, making 37.2% of those shots, and the ShotQuality analytics tool lists their “Open 3 Rate” at 44%, the 24th-best in the nation.

Three of Howard’s players are averaging double figures in scoring this season. The top scorer is guard Elijah Hawkins, who’s producing 13 points per game and shooting 47.3% from long range. Steve Settle III is averaging 11 points and 5.7 rebounds, and Shy Odom has an average of 10.8 points per game. Howard’s bench has gotten some use, too; the team ranks 52nd in the nation in bench minutes at 36.3%. From a betting perspective, Howard went 18-13 against the spread and has covered the number in each of its last four

games. The Bison prefer to play an up-tempo game, and they went over the point total in 15 of their 28 regular-season games. Many of Howard’s biggest flaws are on defense. The Bison struggle taking care of the ball and are unable to defend the rim. According to KenPom. com, Howard’s turnover rate is 22.9%, or 356th in the nation. And there are 320 teams in college basketball that are better than the Bison at defending shots at the rim. Their lack of size doesn’t help — they’re

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212th in the nation in average height. Coincidentally, one of Howard’s players is originally from the state of Kansas. Kobe Dickson, who is averaging 14.8 minutes per game this season, is from Holcomb, which is near Garden City in the southwestern corner of the state. He spent three years at Cornell before transferring to Howard this past season. Kansas vs. Howard will tip off at 1 p.m. Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa. The game will be televised on TBS.

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By Matt Tait lll

mtait@ljworld.com nce, Jalen Wi l s o n was supposed to go to Michigan. He was supposed to be a one-and-done. He was supposed to stay healthy, lead his team on a deep postseason run in his freshman year and then leave college behind and head for the pros. None of those plans panned out — and, as Wilson now knows, that was for the best. In his four years at Kansas, he’s battled through injury, illness, and offcourt issues and come out stronger. He helped lead his team to a national title in 2022, and he’s part of the reason the Jayhawks are on the short list of true contenders heading

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 n LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD n 3AA

There’s not a better player in America, there’s not a tougher player in America, there’s not a player in America who gets more out of his ability than what this guy does.” — KU coach Bill Self into this year’s NCAA Tournament — his third as an eligible player and his second while truly healthy. He’s heard player-of-the year buzz, wowed the KU faithful with one double-double after another — and drawn some of the highest praise possible from the Jayhawks’ head coach.

“There’s not a better player in America, there’s not a tougher player in America, there’s not a player in America who gets more out of his ability than what this guy does,” Bill Self said on the team’s senior night. “I think he’ll go down as one of the greatest winners in the history of Kansas basketball.” So, it’s strange to think that Self overlooked this big winner a bit in high school — and that he might not have been able to recruit Wilson at all if not for a coaching shakeup at a university more than 600 miles away.

During Wilson’s recruitment, “I screwed it up in high school,” Self said. “He was a Kansas guy. He was ready to go. At least that’s what we were told. And I didn’t pull the trigger. “We went from being maybe right in the lead to now it’s over and he was going to go somewhere else.” That “somewhere else” was, as Wilson put it, “way across the map in Ann Arbor (Michigan),” where he hoped to play for coach John Beilein.

But in May 2019, Beilein left to become head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Wilson backed out of his commitment to the Wolverines because of the coaching change. Self had been given a second chance to land the four-star prospect, and this time he wasn’t going to let it pass him by. “Obviously, when coach Beilein left and (Wilson) became available, we got him in here and tried to get it done as quick as possible,” Self said.

> WILSON, 9AA

Nick Krug/Journal-World File Photo

KANSAS FORWARD JALEN WILSON TAPS HIS RING FINGER AS THE JAYHAWKS’ CELEBRATE CLINCHING A SHARE OF THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE TITLE ON FEB. 28 AT ALLEN FIELDHOUSE.

And Kansas dominated the Horned Frogs 84-61 in Fort Worth, Texas, in the last game of the regular season, with four players scoring in double digits. Kansas has faced some tough competition in the Big 12 this year, including six conference games against ranked opponents. But one of its biggest wins of the season was in the nonconference slate — a dominant 77-50 performance on the road against then-No. 12 Arizona, in which KU held the Wildcats to just 30% shooting. For much of the season, the Jayhawks have been limited by injuries to key players. Junior forward Ioanna

Chance Parker/Journal-World File Photo

KANSAS SENIOR TAIYANNA JACKSON DRIVES TO THE BASKET against West Virginia on Jan. 18. Chatzileonti has missed 13 games and hasn’t played since Jan. 14 against Oklahoma; last

season, she averaged about 10 points and played in every game on the schedule. Senior

guard Holly Kersgieter also missed three games this season, two of them after suffering

an injury against Oklahoma on Feb. 19. Kansas went 1-1 in those two games, losing 63-45 to Kansas State and then beating Oklahoma State 66-57. With Chatzileonti out of the lineup, Kansas has had to rely on senior center Taiyanna Jackson to anchor the frontcourt. But that’s been no problem for Jackson, who has had 18 double-doubles in 29 games played this season — the ninthbest mark in the country. She’s averaging 15 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks per game and is also KU’s second-leading scorer. And she has been named a Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist and a candidate for the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award. Jackson and senior guard Zakiyah Franklin,

the Jayhawks’ leading scorer, were both named to the All-Big 12 First Team this season — the first time Kansas has ever had multiple players on the All-Big 12 First Team. Kersgieter earned an honorable mention, and Jackson was also selected to the All-Big 12 Defensive team. All told, Kansas finished this season 19-11 overall and 9-9 in conference play and took seventh in the Big 12 race. Last season, when the Jayhawks ended their tourney drought, they had a 21-10 overall record and were 11-7 inconference play. They were a No. 8 seed in the Big Dance and knocked off No. 9 seed Georgia Tech, 77-58, in the first round before losing 91-65 to top-seeded Stanford in the second round.

4AA n LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD n TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023

By Matt Tait lll

mtait@ljworld.com ast year, when he was part of KU’s national title team, sophomore KJ Adams saw firsthand the mentality that’s needed to sucEverybody from last year had a different ceed in the postseason. “Everybody from last mindset that a lot of teams didn’t have.” year had a different mindset that a lot of teams didn’t — KU sophomore KJ Adams have,” Adams said before the 2023 Big 12 tournament. “They were really focused Adams isn’t the only one Junior Jalen Wilson, who and really on to the next who remembers that. Five was recently named the Big thing.” other members of the cur- 12 player of the year and a rent team were there, too. first-team All-American, said And the Jayhawks are hop- he was confident that this ing that their understanding team, newcomers and vetof how to flip the switch to erans alike, would enter the do-or-die mode will help tourney with a strong underthem deliver another mem- standing of what is required. orable NCAA “We’ll all have our converTournament sations,” Wilson said. “But run. just putting that out there,

saying the season now starts. It’s all good winning the Big 12 and doing these big things, but now the expectations are high. No one’s going to give us a pat on the back for losing. Once you win the conference, you’re expected to do big things.” Understanding and embracing that is one reason the 2022-23 Jayhawks have a legitimate shot to repeat as national champs. Here are a few others: l The Jayhawks are battle tested. According to KenPom.com, Bill Self ’s

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squad played the toughest schedule in the country this season. That’s nothing new, of course, but it means even more this year, given how tough the Big 12 Conference was. KenPom’s strength of schedule rankings had Big 12 teams in seven of the top eight spots. Beyond that, six teams from the conference were ranked in the national polls for much of the season, and eight of the 10 were ranked at least once. All 10 teams at least received votes in the polls. It’s not just that the Jayhawks played an extraordinarily tough Big 12 slate, though. In total, the Jayhawks have played more than 20 Quadrant 1 games and 13 games against teams ranked in the latest AP poll, including big nonconference wins over Duke, Kentucky and Indiana.

> REASONS, 11AA

Nick Krug/Journal-World File Photo

KANSAS PLAYERS HUDDLE AROUND THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE TROPHY ON FEB. 28 AT ALLEN FIELDHOUSE.

... and 8 more teams that could make a deep run By Matt Tait lll

mtait@ljworld.com Regular-season polls can’t tell you who’ll cut down the nets in April, but this season they were a great indicator of just how wide open the race for the national title really is. There were many weeks this season when the entire top 10 had to be reworked, with a wild number of teams crawling into the top spots and falling out almost as soon as they got there.

By all of the metrics, the Big 12 was the No. 1 conference in college basketball this season. So it won’t surprise you to see some of KU’s conference foes doing well in the tourney. But the rest of the group has just as good of a shot as anyone. Here are eight teams other than Kansas that can win it all this year. l Alabama. The team’s offthe-court scandal involving a former player who’s charged with capital murder is concerning, but when it comes to just playing basketball, Bama

certainly has enough to make a serious run. Brandon Miller is an elite talent, and the rest of the roster is full of versatile athletes who can score in bunches and lock teams down defensively. l Creighton. The Bluejays opened the season in the top 10 and then had a heck of a time finding their footing. Injuries contributed to that, but the expectations were massive, too. They got healthy late in the regular season and reminded people of what they can do. They also played in a conference that was

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one of the toughest outside of the Big 12. Their late surge, combined with excellent coaching and plenty of confidence and chemistry, should make them a tough out this year, just like they were last year. l Duke. I never really bought the late-season surges by Kentucky or North Carolina, but Duke’s actually looks legit. Firstyear coach Jon Scheyer’s team is healthy and playing with great confidence, with all of the pieces actually fitting together. It can take time for such a young team to mesh, but it appears they

have, and the ACC tourney title and nine wins in a row have the Blue Devils in that “team no one wants to play” territory. l Gonzaga. How many times has it looked like Gonzaga’s year, only for the Zags to fall short? Could this year be the opposite of that? A lot of it will depend on whether the Zags can shore up their defense. If they can defend more reliably, they’ve got more than enough on offense, and they still have Drew Timme, as well.

> TEAMS, 10AA

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8AA n LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD n TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023

TOURNEY PREVIEW

By Matt Tait lll

mtait@ljworld.com o Bill Self and Roy Williams, college hoops analyst Billy Packer was a man who called games like he saw them — whether fans and coaches liked it or not. To a former Lawrence High School coach who worked with him, he was a consummate broadcaster who respected the games he covered and the stories they told. Those men and many others believe that Packer, who died in January, played a huge role in the NCAA Tournament’s growth and success, and that he deserves a permanent spot in its lore.

One of the great things about Billy was he really cared about letting the game be the story.”

Davis, who created the Coach’s Edge software system used by CBS Sports to produce animated game analysis for its broadcasts. Davis spent 10 years with Packer and the CBS Sports team, traveling to countless cities and covering dozens of regular-season games and nine NCAA To u r n a ments,

— Former Lawrence High coach Chris Davis, who worked alongside Billy Packer at CBS Sports Packer joined NBC in 1974 and called his first Final Four in 1975. He moved to CBS in 1981, and, between the two networks, called 34 straight Final Fours until signing off for the final time

in 2008 — after KU’s win over Memphis in the 2008 national title game. Working alongside him for nearly a third of those Final Fours was former Lawrence High coach Chris

and he knew Packer’s approach was something special. “One of the great things about Billy was he really cared about letting the game be the story,” Davis recently told the Journal-World. “I know I heard him say at least 20 times that his primary objective was to just tell the viewer what he was witnessing.”

> PACKER, 10AA

Nick Krug/Journal-World File Photo Michael Conroy/AP File Photo

KANSAS PLAYERS HUDDLE CBS ANNOUNCERS AROUND THE BIG 12 BILLY PACKER, LEFT, CONFERENCE TROPHY AND JIM NANTZ LAUGH ON FEB. 28 AT ALLEN DURING A BREAK IN THE FIELDHOUSE. CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT IN INDIANAPOLIS ON MARCH 12, 2006.

KU extends its NCAA-record streak of tourney appearances By Matt Tait lll

mtait@ljworld.com Another year, another NCAA Tournament appearance for the Kansas men’s basketball program, which extended its NCAA record of consecutive trips to the Big Dance to 33 this season. That’s 14 years under former KU coach Roy Williams and the last 19 under current

coach Bill Self. It’s also six seasons longer than North Carolina’s 27-year streak, from 1975 to 2001, which used to be the record. The Jayhawks were ranked inside the AP Top 10 for the entire 2022-23 season, and they also added to their streak of top-4 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, picking up a No. 1 seed for the 10th time in 19 tournaments under Self. You have to go back to the 1999-2000 season to find a

year when the Jayhawks were not a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament. In fact, KU now has been a top-four seed in 31 of the past 33 NCAA Tournaments, and it would be 32 of 34 had it not been for COVID-19 canceling the 2020 tourney. While the tourney streak creates yet another bond for so many past Kansas teams and great players, this year’s team will enter the tournament in a position occupied by just

one team before it during that stretch — as the defending national champs. The 1988-89 team (Williams’ first) never got to defend the 1988 title because of an NCAA probation. But the 2008-09 team did get a shot at a title defense, and that group, led by returners Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, made it to the Sweet 16 as a 3 seed before bowing out to eventual national runner-up Michigan State.

This year’s team, led by 202122 title team starters Dajuan Harris Jr. and Jalen Wilson, has its sights set on another deep run and defending last season’s national title. We’ll find out if they can do it in the next few weeks. For a complete, year-byyear look back at KU’s 33-year NCAA Tournament streak, as well as complete coverage of the Jayhawks’ run through the 2023 tournament, visit KUsports.com.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 n LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD n 9AA

Wilson CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3AA

And just like that, Wilson said, “God put me in Lawrence, Kansas, and changed my life for the best.” lll

Like many high-profile talents, Wilson came to college with dreams of leaving after a year. But at Kansas, he discovered that success in big-time basketball would be a lot more difficult than he expected — for a whole host of reasons. In the 2019-20 season, he immediately got off to a rocky start. He suffered ankle and back injuries that cost him most of the season. And even if he had been healthy in March 2020, he wouldn’t have had a tourney to play in, because the NCAA Tournament was shut down altogether as COVID-19 swept across the U.S. The next year, it was Wilson’s own personal battle with COVID-19 that had him at less than 100% entering the tournament. He missed the team’s first-round win over Eastern Washington and played a rusty eight minutes in a blowout loss to USC in Round 2 — scoring just two points, showing obvious signs of fatigue and missing all three shots he attempted. Then, days before the first game of the 2021-22 season, he was arrested on suspicion of DUI. He would eventually resolve it with a diversion — a process in which someone accused of a crime is “diverted” from the usual legal procedures and instead completes the terms of an agreement that may include a rehabilitation

Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo

KANSAS FORWARD JALEN WILSON WALKS OFF THE COURT CARRYING THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE TROPHY following the Jayhawks’ win over Texas Tech on Feb. 28 at Allen Fieldhouse.

God put me in Lawrence, Kansas, and changed my life for the best.” — KU forward Jalen Wilson program or fine. But on the basketball court, he had to serve a suspension for that incident, and he was struggling with confidence issues early in the season. All of these adverse circumstances were on top of having to meet the demanding standards of a top-tier program like Kansas. “I think that’s every kid’s dream (to be) oneand-done,” Wilson said, laughing. “But you’re quickly humbled (about) what college basketball is when you come here. “But I wouldn’t change anything,” he added.

Adam M. Goodyear, MD

Emily Heronemus, DO

That might be because in the middle of the 202122 season, things started to turn around for Wilson and the Jayhawks. He was playing with more fire, heart and passion than ever before. And in the postseason, the team remembered the disappointment of 2021, when it suffered the most lopsided NCAA Tournament loss in program history, and atoned for it with a run to the national title. Wilson played a huge role in last year’s triumph, finishing just a couple of rebounds shy of averaging a double-double for the entire tournament.

James C. Huston, MD

Neal D. Lintecum, MD

lll

Following up a performance like that would be a daunting task for most players, but Wilson was up to the challenge, and he took his game and his importance to an entirely new level this season. Not only did he slide into the role vacated by former All-American Ochai Agbaji, but he also did even more on the stat sheet, leading the Jayhawks and the Big 12 Conference in scoring and rebounding. And even with the national title memories fresh in his mind and his championship ring prominently displayed in his room for him to see every day, Wilson said recently that he has had even more fun this season than he did in 2021-22.

Stephan Prô, MD

“This year is the most fun I’ve had,” he said. “Just because I see the potential that we have this year to do it all again. That’s what’s most fun, just the journey. Winning a conference championship is the first step in that process, so we’re right on line with what we need to do to have even more fun in the postseason.” If the Jayhawks’ 2023 postseason run is anything close to what they did in 2022, there’s little doubt that Wilson will be largely responsible. But it’s not just the points, rebounds, leadership skills and clutch plays that have allowed him to carry this team. It’s also his pride. “I really don’t know if we’ve had anybody more competitive,” Self said. “I

Luis D. Salazar, MD

Douglass E. Stull, MD

don’t know if we’ve had anybody with a will to win better than his.” Self said that even on Wilson’s off nights, “there is never a question in his will to win being compromised at all. That separates him from just about all of them. There’s an extra element when you talk about making winning plays at game point. And I don’t know that we’ve had anybody do it any better than he has.” Wilson knows what winning means to his teammates and coaches — and he also knows what it means to the fans who watch him play night in and night out. You might think his favorite memory from KU was a big moment during the national title game, or making one of his many game-winning plays. But what he remembers is more subtle than that, and it’s something that some fans might have missed. “One of my favorite things,” he said, “is when I get an and-one, like screaming and just hearing and feeling that joy and excitement” of the home crowd roaring with approval. “I kind of just close my eyes a little bit, and whenever I open them, wherever I’m at on the court, I’ll just look at whoever I’m in front of and whatever interaction we have will happen. I just like connecting with the fans as much as I can. They get juiced up, too.” Has he ever seen a fan yelling back with as much fire and passion as he sent their way? Wilson smiled and said, “Oh yeah, for sure. They’re matching my energy, for sure. That’s why this place is special.” And to think, he almost never got a chance to experience it.

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Packer CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8AA

Sometimes, that meant pointed commentary on the game or the strategy unfolding in front of him. Other times, it meant controversial opinions — or even an adversarial relationship with some of the fans. At one point or another, fans of most schools likely believed Packer was out to get their favorite team. Davis says he wasn’t. So, too, do Self and Williams. Though neither Hall of Fame coach actually listened to Packer’s broadcasts in real time, both knew enough about his approach to appreciate his candor. “I liked him,” Self told the Journal-World earlier this month. “I thought he was fair. I thought when he was complimentary, the reasons why he was were real, and when he was critical, I thought the reasons why were real.” It wasn’t always that way. Self said he still finds it “neat” that the last game Packer ever called was KU’s 2008 national title game win, but the two butted heads while Self was at Illinois from 2000 to 2003. “I was not a fan back then,” Self said. “Because he called one of my players a dog, and it became a big deal. He said he was playing like a dog. And he came to me and he was like, ‘Bill, he is.’ And I’m like going, ‘Well, yeah, but he’s a kid.’ “But that was Billy,” Self said. “He was very direct and to the point.”

Teams CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4AA l Houston. Regardless of their strength of schedule or the conference they play in, the Cougars are one of the most talented teams in the country, and they have one of the top coaches in the country, Kelvin Sampson. They can play up-tempo or in the halfcourt on offense. And their defense can use length, speed and tenacity to make life miserable for opponents. Starting in Round 2, the Cougars will see tougher competition than they’ve seen most of the season. But they won’t be intimidated, and they will likely enter the tournament with the swagger of a team that believes it’s the favorite to win it all. l Marquette. Shaka Smart never had much postseason success at

David Cantor/AP File Photo

CBS SPORTS ANCHORS MIKE FRANCESA, LEFT, JIM NANTZ, CENTER, AND BILLY PACKER call a game at their New York studio on March 18, 1991, during the NCAA Tournament.

Billy was an ambassador for basketball, and particularly a great ambassador for college basketball. He loved the college game.” — Former KU coach Roy Williams KU has been on the receiving end of Packer’s frank opinions before — including in the win over Oklahoma in the 1988 national title game in Kansas City, Missouri. That game was tied at 50 at halftime, and Davis said Packer “thought that Larry Brown and Kansas faced a tremendous uphill battle in the championship if they let the game be played at Oklahoma’s pace.” “He thought KU was in trouble,” Davis said, recalling what Packer had told him about that game. “His straight talk about what he saw might have riled up Jayhawk fans, but he simply told

Williams, who was on the wrong end of that semifinal loss, saw great value in Packer’s tell-itlike-it-is style, regardless of who was in the crosshairs. What many fans saw as cantankerous,

Texas, but he’s got a team that can make a run this season at Marquette. With the top-ranked and most exciting offense in the country, the team has lost just twice since Christmas. Its overall defense is merely average, but it still forces turnovers with the best of them, ranking in the top 20 in the country in turnover percentage. If Smart can keep his guys playing loose and free and coach up the defense to deliver on the biggest stage, this could be a memorable postseason. l Texas. Kansas coach Bill Self said earlier this season that Texas has topfive talent, and the Longhorns have shown that in the past couple of weeks. After dropping back-toback games at Baylor and TCU (two teams who also could be on this list), Texas responded with two dominant wins over Kansas and a Big 12 tournament title. If Marcus Carr is back to form and Dylan Disu and

Christian Bishop stay aggressive, UT could be the scariest team in the entire tournament. l UCLA. The Bruins have been flying under the radar for much of the season, but won’t be any longer. They were as hot as any team in the country late in the season, and they may wind up in the Final Four on a lot of brackets this month. Mick Cronin’s team has plenty of talent on offense and veterans who have won big before. It’s also incredibly well coached. Despite what you might think of a West Coast team, this group hangs its hat on defense. UCLA ranks second nationally in defensive efficiency, and it does so by eliminating 3-point shooting, forcing turnovers and flat-out competing. l More possible contenders: Baylor, Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue, TCU, Tennessee, UConn, Virginia.

the audience what his opinion was. There was no sugar in that coffee.” But Packer made up for it two nights before KU’s win over Memphis in 2008, as the Jayhawks raced out to a massive lead over North Carolina in the semifinals. “This game’s ovah,” he said in his characteristic accent, delighting Kansas’ fans. lll

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later, when he was asked to fill in on a Wake Forest broadcast at the last minute. He also contributed more than just his voice and his incisive commentary to the sport’s signature event: Davis said it was Packer who first pitched the idea of a March Madness selection show to CBS. Davis said he always marveled at how much Packer and the rest of the crew cared about keeping the game and the tournament at center stage. “They were genuinely concerned about the importance of the games and the tournament,” Davis said. “They didn’t waste time on anything else.”

Davis took a video of the whole thing, and he said the look on Packer’s face when he realized it was a prank was one of admiration and elation. Packer was always happy to play the role of the prankster, Davis said, but it was rare for him to be the victim of a prank himself. “When he was doing games, he was serious and stayed with the mindset of explaining what he saw in front of him,” Davis said. “Outside of that, he loved to have stimulating conversations and could laugh and joke with the best of them.” Like Self and Williams, Davis said Packer’s impact on the game was immeasurable and that his death was a great loss for the sport. But for Davis, it was also the loss of a friend and someone he greatly admired. “We worked together for a long time and I enjoyed every second of it,” Davis said. “We created some innovative ways to show the concepts of the game to fans, and I learned a lot about the game, as well, through my time with CBS and my conversations with Billy.” Whether it was his pointed calls, his iconic voice or his vast knowledge of the game, Packer deserved to be remembered as a pioneer in the sport and a critical part of the growth of college basketball, Davis said. “We have lost a remarkable source of the history of college basketball,” he said. “It was an absolute dream for a high school coach from Kansas to get that kind of access to one of the true greats.”

lll

those who knew Packer saw as frank and honest, Williams said. “That’s all it was,” Williams told the Journal-World earlier this month. “And he stated his beliefs very strongly. Billy was not afraid to take a stand about what he thought was right about the game, what he thought was wrong about the game, or to point out if a referee made a mistake or a coach did something wrong. It was an easy deal for him. “Billy was an ambassador for basketball, and particularly a great ambassador for college basketball,” Williams said. “He loved the college game.” Packer played college hoops himself at Wake Forest in the ACC, helping lead the Demon Deacons to the Final Four in 1962. His first time on the mic was a few years

On the road, Davis was often the fly on the wall, letting Packer, play-by-play broadcaster Jim Nantz, producer Bob Dekas and director Bob Fishman talk basketball with the coaches and other notable names in college hoops. And that also meant Davis got to see sides of the broadcaster other than the one that came across the airwaves. He recalls, for instance, when the CBS crew teamed up to play a prank on Packer, using Davis’ Coach’s Edge program as the hook. Packer, thinking he was doing a live breakdown, went through a play from a game between Illinois and Michigan. It started off like normal, with Packer discussing the X’s and O’s, but it quickly went off the rails when the icons on the screen went to the wrong spots and more than 10 players were suddenly shown on the court.

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West CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2AA

Like Harris, Kansas assistant Norm Roberts, who led the Jayhawks through the Big 12 tournament while Bill Self was hospitalized for a heart procedure, said it was important to concentrate on the tasks ahead. “At Kansas, we are not going to be upset about being a 1 seed in whatever region that is,” Roberts said after the bracket was revealed Sunday. “So, we’re very happy where we’re at and now we got to focus in and play.” Roberts’ appearance at Sunday’s press conference was likely his last as the acting head coach of the Jayhawks. Self was released from the University of Kansas Health System earlier in the day, and the plan was for him to rejoin the team on Monday. In fact, Roberts said Self talked to the Jayhawks early in the day on Sunday and was “getting stuff (on Howard) right now as we speak.” On the selection show, NCAA Selection Committee chairman Chris Reynolds was asked about putting Houston in the Midwest over Kansas, and he said the uncertainty about Self played a role in the decision. He also cited Houston’s 15-2 record in Quadrant 1 and 2 games compared to KU’s

Reasons CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4AA

Whether you’re talking hostile environments, tough matchups or hot teams, there’s not much these Jayhawks haven’t seen.

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 n LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD n 11AA look forward to coaching you guys,’” Roberts said. The statement from KU also included some new details about exactly what put Self in the hospital in the first place. It said that Self “arrived at the emergency department Wednesday evening March 8, complaining of chest tightness and balance concerns,” and that “Self underwent a standard heart catheterization and had two stents placed for the treatment of blocked arteries. “Coach Self responded well to the procedure and is expected to make a full recovery,” the statement said.

21-7 record in those games, along with the fact that many of KU’s losses were by a significant margin. “I don’t know their reasoning behind it,” Roberts said. “But you’re going to have a tough haul no matter what region you’re in … That’s a tough deal for the committee. It’s never easy. (Not everyone’s) ever going to be happy.” Self did not watch Sunday’s selection show with the team, but he did speak beforehand with the veterans on the team — those who played some kind of role in last year’s run to the national title. Adams said Self reemphasized that the Jayhawks have a chance to do something special by becoming the first team to repeat as national champions since Florida did it in 2007. And Roberts said the themes of the day were being grateful for the opportunity and finding a way to lock in from this point forward. “It’s always an exciting time of the year,” Roberts said. “Our guys were really happy being the No. 1 seed. That’s an unbelievable accomplishment. Coach (Self) talked to our guys earlier today and said if that happens for us, that means you’re one of the teams that has a chance to cut down nets.” This is the 10th time in 19 tournaments under Self that the program has earned a No. 1 seed. KU also has extended its NCAA-record

Update on Self’s health KU announced about an hour before the selection show that Self had been released from the hospital on Sunday in “good condition” and returned to his home in Lawrence. In a statement, Self said he was “so thankful for the amazing staff at the University of Kansas Health System for the excellent care” he received. He added that he was proud of how the team and the coaching staff handled his absence during the Big 12 tournament and that he was “excited to be back with them as the best time of the season gets underway.” When Self talked to the players on Sunday before the bracket was revealed, Roberts said, “They were so excited to hear his voice.” “He was talking and getting after it like he normally does and said, ‘Guys, I’m back. I’m ready to go and

McCullar improving Roberts said KU senior Kevin McCullar Jr., who missed the Big 12 championship game because of back spasms, was in better shape on Sunday. “Kevin’s doing good,” Roberts said. “He’s feeling a lot better. I think not playing yesterday helped. He’ll get some more rest today and then hopefully be able to do something tomorrow or Tuesday.” The goal, of course, is for McCullar to return to the Jayhawks’ lineup as soon as possible. Roberts and several of McCullar’s teammates stressed throughout the Big 12 tournament that the goal was to have him healthy for the long haul, but they’re also eager to get him back.

l Championship swagger. There may not be much left from last year’s national title team, but the pieces that remain are pretty important. Wilson, Self and point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. are all full of confidence and hold the rest of the team to incredibly high standards. It’s been that way since the

start of the offseason, when Wilson and Harris said last spring that their goal for the 2022-23 season was to collect more hardware. Those two — and Adams, to some degree — have been part of some massive games during the past few seasons. And no one in college basketball has coached in more big games or won

more than Self. These guys believe they can win any game they play, no matter who it’s against or how far they get behind. And they’ve proven in the past that they’re right. l The pressure’s off. Late in the season, after Kansas wrapped up the Big 12 regular-season crown, there was talk

consecutive tournament streak to 33 tournaments in a row. “Obviously, we would’ve liked to have played in Kansas City, if that was the opportunity. But we’re a long way from that,” Roberts said. “This is a new season. It’s one-and-done time, and you’ve got to lock in and everybody’s got to give 5% (to) 10% more in their focus, their energy and just understanding what we need to do to win.”

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“Yeah, he’s feeling OK,” Harris said Sunday. “I know he’s been having therapy sessions. We just have to get him healthy and get him ready for Thursday.”

Quick look at the West Although the Jayhawks obviously will not have to play all 15 teams in the region, the list of talented teams in their corner of the bracket is long. UCLA was the top No. 2 seed in the entire bracket, and the Bruins were one of the “six or seven” teams the committee considered for a 1 seed. No. 3 seed Gonzaga was the second-highest team on the 3 line, and fourth-seeded Connecticut was the highest No. 4 seed in the bracket. From there, things evened out a little, with Saint Mary’s being the third-best No. 5 seed and TCU the last No. 6 seed. Should KU get by Howard in Round 1, it will face the winner of the 8-9 game between Arkansas and Illinois. Arkansas was the second-best No. 8 seed in the bracket and Illinois was the final No. 9 seed.

and TCU are both on the 6 line. West Virginia, as a No. 9 seed, was the lowestseeded Big 12 team in this year’s tournament. Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Texas Tech are all on the outside looking in.

Big 12 gets seven bids Seven Big 12 Conference teams earned spots in the NCAA Tournament’s 68-team field. Kansas was the highest-seeded Big 12 team; Texas earned the second-best No. 2 seed; and Baylor is the top No. 3 seed. Kansas State is also a No. 3 seed, and Iowa State

Early odds The first set of odds for Thursday’s matchup with Howard had Kansas as a 23-point favorite, according to Draft Kings. However, there was much more to the odds equation for the Jayhawks than the Round 1 matchup. The Jayhawks were listed as the third or fourth favorite to win it all on most sportsbooks online, which makes since given that Self’s squad is the No. 3 overall seed. In addition, odds from KenPom.com for advancing to each round surfaced shortly after the bracket was revealed on Sunday, and they painted a different picture. The analytics site said the Jayhawks had the fourth-best chance of reaching the Final Four in the West region. No. 2 seed UCLA had the highest chance at 29.36%, and No. 3 Gonzaga (16.69%) and No. 4 UConn (16.52%) were both ahead of the top-seeded Jayhawks (14.94%). Last season, KenPom gave Kansas a 27.9% chance of reaching the Final Four and a 6.6% chance of winning it all, and the Jayhawks achieved both feats.

about the Jayhawks loosening their grip and having a little more fun on the floor, playing freely and with joy. That’s what worked for last season’s team, and there’s no reason to think it can’t happen for this one, too. After all, last year’s team was still chasing KU’s first national title in 14 years. This year’s

group is still hearing about that win and benefitting from it along the way. As a 1 seed, there’s always pressure to make a deep run. But this time, as defending champs, they’re not feeling like they need to win the tourney to return Kansas to the top of the college basketball world.

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