2024 NCAA Tournament: How to watch Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Kansas Jayhawks

Zags face Jayhawks with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line

Author:
Cole Forsman
Mar 23, 2024

In this story:

Gonzaga Bulldogs

Kansas Jayhawks

NCAA Tournament

March Madness

The 5-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs meet the 4-seed Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

Each blueblood has taken a vastly different path to this point. For the Zags (26-7, 14-2 WCC), they've won 10 of their last 11 games and smoked their first-round opponent, 12-seed McNeese State, in an 86-65 blowout on Thursday. The 21-point win showcased their level of play over the last six weeks; Gonzaga ranks third in offensive efficiency, first in effective field goal percentage, fifth in 2-point field goal percentage and has the eighth-lowest turnover rate since Feb. 4, according to Bart Torvik.

The Jayhawks (23-10, 10-9 Big 12), meanwhile, limped into the postseason without its star wing, Kevin McCullar Jr., who was ruled out for the 2024 NCAA Tournament due to a bone bruise by his coach Bill Self. The All-Big 12 forward missed six of the team's final 12 games, and Kansas managed to win four of those games in which it didn't have its leading scorer, the last month has been filled with ups and downs.

Kansas entered the NCAA Tournament having lost four of its last five games, including its first game in the Big 12 Tournament to Cincinnati, due in large part to their struggles from behind the arc on both ends of the floor. Since Feb. 27, the Jayhawks have shot 25.0% on 3-point attempts, the 345th-best mark in the country, and have allowed opponents to shoot 38.3% from deep (281st in the nation).

Still, 7-foot-2 Hunter Dickinson has held it down with 18.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. KJ Adams adds 12.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while Dajuan Harris Jr. leads in the playmaking category with 6.4 assists per game.