Jayhawks And Shockers: Get Your Printable March Madness Bracket

The state of Kansas is well represented once again for March Madness as the Kansas Jayhawks and the Wichita State Shockers both made the field of 68.

The Kansas Jayhawks may be the number one team in the nation but the Witchita State Shockers will get things started tonight as they square off against Vanderbilt in one of the first round (play-in) games on Tuesday. If they win, they will be the number 11 seed in the Southern Regional in the field of 64.

After early injuries marred their season and a 5-5 record to begin the year, the Shockers have put together a nice run since December 20th. Since that time they’re 19-3 and have most of their key players back from injury.

Fred VanVleet, who enters tournament play fully healthy, brings plenty of postseason experience with him. He and Ron Baker ranked second and first among active players in tournament scoring. Both were part of the 2013 Shockers team that went to the Final Four.

They’ll likely need that experience to get deep into this tournament, and their first match-up is no joke. The Vanderbilt Commodores is stocked full of tall players. They have six players on their roster that are at least 6’8″ though not all of them play. When these two square off at 8:10 PM CST, it’ll be a game featuring two of the nation’s top defenses.

The Jayhawks will have to wait until tomorrow to begin their, hopefully deep, postseason run. They, like the Shockers, are in the Southern Regional, but they don’t have to worry about being underdogs.

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In fact, the Jayhawks have the biggest target on their back as they aren’t just the number one seed in the South. They’re the number on team in the entire tournament.

Not only do they sport a record of 29-4, they hold the field’s highest RPI, which stands for Ratings Percentage Index.

Their rating of .6683 is one of the reasons they were selected as a number one seed, and they are the number one team in the entire tournament.

They absolutely dominated the first two rounds of the Big 12, tournament outside of the last two minutes against Baylor. In that game, they watched a 16 point lead slip away in the final two minutes but held on for a four-point victory.

Related Story: Big 12 Needs Schools Other Than KU to Step Up

They kept pace with West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament Championship game and actually trailed at the half. They’d cruise through the second-half of the game after Devonte’ Graham hit a three-point jumper to gain the lead only 11 seconds into the second-half. They’d never look back as they won with a final score of 81-71.

The KU basketball team will start it’s postseason run tomorrow against the Austin Peay Governors, who enter postseason play as the number 16 seed. To date, a number 16 seed has never beaten a number one seed in the NCAA tournament.

Don’t look for that to change in this game. The Kansas Jayhawks are a very good team. They will look to take home their first National Title since 2008 when Mario Chalmers did this:

That play is, undoubtedly, one of the best plays in Kansas Jayhawks history. It saved the team from elimination and sent them to overtime where they would snatch another National Championship.

It was the team’s fifth National Championship victory (third NCAA Tournament Championship). With Bill Self at the helm and a solid effort from the entire team, they have a great shot to bring home another. .

Kansas City has already been spoiled this season by it’s baseball and football teams, could the Kansas Jayhawks keep pouring it on? See the entire, printable bracket right here:

Full Printable Bracket

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Meanwhile, the other college teams covered by KC Kingdom are done for the season. Both the Kansas State Wildcats and the Mizzou Tigers failied to make either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT.

Kansas State finished their season at 17-16 and had hoped for a spot in the NIT. They weren’t shy about making their feelings known when it came to expectations and disappointment.

Meanwhile, the Tigers are operating under a self-imposed postseason ban after they were found to have violated NCAA rules. That violation also caused the Tigers to vacate 23 wins from the 2013-2014 season.

It’s almost humorous that the Tigers are putting a self-imposed ban on their postseason play. They more or less banned themselves from any postseason action with their atrocious 10-21 record.

Next: Top KU Basketball Coaches EVER!

March Madness is a fantastic time of year for die-hard and casual fans alike. It’s a great bridge between football and baseball and another sign that winter is nearly over. As the tournament progresses, brackets will be busted, and incredible upsets will occur.

So what do you think college basketball fans? Will either of our local teams make it all the way to the National Championship on April 4th? Who are your picks for a Cinderella story? Let us know your thoughts in the comments’ section below.