Kansas Men’s Basketball 2020 NCAA Tournament Capsule

March 6, 2020 · Jacob Young
 

Kansas Jayhawks

Big 12 (28-3, 17-1)

 
After three straight seasons earning a 1-seed and making it past the first weekend from 2016-18, the Jayhawks had a down year for their standards in 2019. Kansas was just a 4-seed and got bounced in dominating fashion by Final Four-bound Auburn in the second round. This year, Kansas got back to their winning ways and was awarded a 1-seed yet again. The Jayhawks have the ingredients to win the whole thing with an elite defense along with the experienced duo of Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike.
 
Big Wins: 11/27 vs Dayton (90-84), 2/12 at West Virginia (58-49), 2/22 at Baylor (64-61)
Bad Losses: 11/5 vs Duke (66-68), 12/21 at Villanova (55-56), 1/11 Baylor (55-67)
Coach: Bill Self
 
Why They Can Surprise:
Kansas has had a strong season on both sides of the floor this season. They have the top defensive efficiency in the nation led by elite versatile defender Marcus Garrett. Garrett can defend four positions and allows Bill Self to be creative with his defensive matchups. In the Jayhawks’ early-season loss to Villanova, Garrett went out of the game with an injury in the first half and Kansas looked like a different team after that point. Offensively, the Jayhawks are led by sophomore guard Devon Dotson and senior big man Udoka Azubuike. Dotson is likely the quickest guard in the nation and seemingly gets to the rim at will. Meanwhile, the 270-lb Azubuike is virtually un-guardable when he gets the ball in the post, shooting 74.8% from the field.  
 
Why They Can Disappoint:
The most glaring problem for Kansas is their lack of consistent shooting. Isaiah Moss might be the most important player for the Jayhawks in the NCAA Tournament. Moss came to Kansas as a grad transfer labeled as a sharpshooter and has shot 34.8% from three this season. Moss, Ochai Agbaji and to a limited extent Christian Braun have been the Jayhawks’ only somewhat reliable shooters. Kansas is shooting a respectable 34.4% from deep as a team this season, but the Jayhawks shoot just 18.6 threes per game, which is 278th in the nation per game. The other potential issue for Kansas is their lack of depth. Since Silvio De Sousa’s suspension, the Jayhawks haven’t played more than eight players per game. Dotson, Garrett and Agbaji play anywhere between 35 and 40 minutes per game. If Azubuike, or anyone for that matter, gets into foul trouble or suffers an injury, the Jayhawks could be in major trouble.
 
Probable Starters:
Devon Dotson, Sophomore, Guard, 18.1 ppg, 4.0 apg, 4.1 rpg, 2.0 spg
Ochai Agbaji, Sophomore, Guard, 10.0 ppg, 2.0 apg, 4.2 rpg
Marcus Garrett, Junior, Guard, 9.2 ppg, 4.6 apg, 4.5 rpg, 1.8 spg
Isaiah Moss, Senior, Guard, 7.9 ppg
Udoka Azubuike, Senior, Center, 13.7 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.6 bpg
 
Key Role Players:
David McCormack, Sophomore, Forward, 6.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Christian Braun, Freshman, Guard, 5.3 ppg
Tristan Enaruna, Freshman, Forward, 2.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg
 
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense:
Scoring Defense:
Field-Goal Percentage:
Field-Goal Defense:
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game:
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage:
Free-Throw Percentage:
Rebound Margin:
Assists Per Game:
Turnovers Per Game:
 
Recent Postseason Appearances:
 
2019 NCAA Round of 64 win over Northeastern
2019 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Auburn
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 3/8