Kansas Jayhawks: Matching Up Against Wichita State

On Friday, the second-seeded Kansas Jayhawks defeated the 15th-seeded New Mexico State Aggies by a score of 75-56. This game saw the resurgence of the Jayhawks’ three-point shot as they shot 69.2% from behind the arc, according to ESPN.com.

The same day, the seventh-seeded Wichita State Shockers defeated the tenth-seeded Indiana Hoosiers 81-76. The Shockers showed incredible toughness by overcoming a late deficit.

This has set up a game which many people have wanted to see. The two best Kansas-based college basketball teams this season battling it out for a chance to continue their season. On paper, this appears to be a very exciting game to watch.

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Wichita State, led by guards Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet, thrived in the paint against Indiana. They also were solid from the three-point arc and shot 85% of their free throws. This team has the capability to be physical under the basket.

Throughout a lot of the season, they struggled to shoot the three-point shot consistently, making 35%, and struggled with their free throws, shooting only 69% of them. They also have a field goal percentage of 44%, which is pretty good.

KU, on the other hand, has done better with three-point shots and free throws throughout the season. The Jayhawks have shot 72% on their free throws and 38% on their three-point shots. They’re about even with the Shockers in field goal percentage with 44%. All of these stats are courtesy of ESPN.com

Kansas will have to minimize their mistakes in order to beat this tough Wichita State team.

Being a Jayhawk fan, I’m optimistic that the Kansas Jayhawks will win. The game against New Mexico State saw KU finally finding their three-point shot, something that they have been missing since about the end of the regular season.

Should the Jayhawks keep the momentum of their three-point shot going, they should be able to open the game up against the Shockers. Having said that, the Jayhawks have had a history of getting into early foul trouble and making bad turnovers.

Kansas will have to minimize their mistakes in order to beat this tough Wichita State team.

It seems as though the Jayhawks will be without power forward Cliff Alexander for the duration of the NCAA tournament, according to Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. This means that fellow big men Landen Lucas and Hunter Mickelson will have to step their defensive game up. Losing Alexander hurts the Jayhawks’ defense because he was a shot-blocking phenom.

Ultimately, I feel that this game will be a great game to watch. KU and Wichita State are two very talented programs that have played very well this season. Both teams won their regular season conference championships.

My KU fan mentality leads me to believe that the Jayhawks will prevail in a close, competitive game. I really won’t be upset with who wins this game because both teams are very capable of making it to the Elite Eight to more than likely face Kentucky.

While I don’t think that either team will beat Kentucky (even though they both certainly could), I think that either team will give Kentucky a run for their money.

Who do you guys think will win? I have to go with my gut and root for the Kansas Jayhawks. Rock Chalk!

Next: Can The Kansas Jayhawks Make A Deep Tournament Run?

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