Kansas Men’s Basketball 2019 NCAA Tournament Capsule

March 10, 2019 · CSM Staff
 

Kansas Jayhawks

Big 12 (25-9, 12-6)

 
Kansas’ amazing run of 15 straight Big 12 titles has come to an end. The Jayhawks finished with a 12-6 conference record and that is not acceptable in Lawrence. But despite those struggles in Big 12 action, KU picked up some nice wins out of conference against Michigan State, Tennessee and Villanova. This team can certainly pull things together in the NCAA Tournament and reach the Final Four and beyond.
 
Big Wins: 11/6 vs Michigan State (92-87), 11/23 vs Tennessee (87-81), 2/2 Texas Tech (79-63)
Bad Losses: 12/22 at Arizona State (76-80), 1/19 at West Virginia (64-65), 1/29 at Texas (63-73)
Coach: Bill Self
 
Why They Can Surprise:
The Jayhawks lost senior guard Lagerald Vick in early February and that changed this team. Without Vick, the Jayhawks have struggled with their outside shooting and that has put a lot of pressure on forward Dedric Lawson. The junior transfer from Memphis averages 19.1 points and 10.3 rebounds and he can even step outside and knock down some shots. Lawson is now the carrying this team. David McCormack and Mitch Lightfoot have not been getting too many minutes, but they do provide some options in the frontcourt and are solid rebounders.
 
Why They Can Disappoint:
Without Vick, this was a very different team. Devon Dotson, Ochai Agbaji, Quentin Grimes and Marcus Garrett are underclassmen who picked up the slack as much as possible. Dotson has been the most prolific scorer off the bunch, while Grimes is the guy who can add quick offense with his outside shooting ability. However, he is shooting just 34.5 percent from beyond the arc. With Vick out for the NCAA Tournament, Coach Bill Self will have to continue to rely on his younger players and that has not worked out too well so far this season.
 
Probable Starters:
Devon Dotson, Freshman, Guard, 12.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.6 apg
Lagerald Vick, Senior, Guard, 14.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Ochai Agbaji, Freshman, Guard, 8.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Quentin Grimes, Freshman, Guard, 8.3 ppg, 2.0 apg
Dedric Lawson, Junior, Forward, 19.1 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 1.1 bpg
 
Key Role Players:
David McCormack, Freshman, Forward, 3.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Mitch Lightfoot, Junior, Forward, 2.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Marcus Garrett, Sophomore, Guard, 7.3 ppg
K.J. Lawson, Sophomore, Guard, 2.9 ppg
 
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.6 (101st in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70l1 (151, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.4 (69, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.7 (30, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.5 (203, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.5 (118, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.5 (204, 4)
Rebound Margin: 2.0 (117, 5)
Assists Per Game: 13.4 (176, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.4 (220, 8)
 
Recent Postseason Appearances:
 
2018 NCAA Round of 64 win over Pennsylvania
2018 NCAA Round of 32 win over Seton Hall
2018 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Clemson
2018 NCAA Regional Final win over Duke
2018 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Villanova
2017 NCAA Round of 64 win over UC Davis
2017 NCAA Round of 32 win over Michigan State
2017 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Purdue
2017 NCAA Regional Final loss to Oregon
2016 NCAA Round of 64 win over Austin Peay
2016 NCAA Round of 32 win over Connecticut
2016 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Maryland
2016 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Villanova
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over New Mexico State
2015 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Wichita State
2014 NCAA Round of 64 win over Eastern Kentucky
2014 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Stanford
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Western Kentucky
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over North Carolina
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Michigan
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Detroit
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over Purdue
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over North Carolina State
2012 NCAA Regional Final win over North Carolina
2012 NCAA National Semifinal win over Ohio State
2012 NCAA National Final loss to Kentucky
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Boston U
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Illinois
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Richmond
2011 NCAA Regional Final loss to VCU
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Lehigh
2010 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Northern Iowa
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over North Dakota State
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Dayton
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Michigan State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Portland State
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over UNLV
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Villanova
2008 NCAA Regional Final win over Davidson
2008 NCAA National Semifinal win over North Carolina
2008 NCAA National Final win over Memphis
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Niagara
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Kentucky
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Southern Illinois
2007 NCAA Regional Final loss to UCLA
 
*all team stats through 3/10