How Far Will Kansas Go in March Madness? Experts Reveal Bold Predictions

Kansas earned the No. 4 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament and will continue its season on Friday night when it takes on Cal Baptist in San Diego.

Kansas is looking to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, something that hasn’t happened in a few years. Since winning it all in the Spring of 2022, Bill Self’s Jayhawks haven’t made it past the first weekend of the tournament.

A win over Cal Baptist on Friday would mean a Sunday date with the winner of the No. 5 St. John’s vs. 12. Northern Iowa contest, with a trip to the Sweet 16 and possible matchup with No. 1 Duke there.

So how far will the Jayhawks ultimately go?Are they prone to a First Round upset?Done by the end of the weekend?

Or did the grind of the Big 12 schedule prepare this team for a deeper run than anyone seems to be expecting?

Here’s what the staff at Kansas Jayhawks On SI see happening in the NCAA Tournament.

Nick Shepkowski: Second Round Loss to St. John’s

This squad was playing pretty good basketball when it won eight-in-a-row, including a win over then-unbeaten Arizona, but has struggled mightily down the stretch. Although I don’t hold a blowout loss to Houston against it in the Big 12 Tournament, away from home I don’t see this squad making much noise.

Josh Schulman: Sweet 16 Loss to Duke

If both Kansas and St. John’s can win their respective first-round matchups, I’m reluctantly choosing the Jayhawks to advance past the first weekend for the first time since 2022. The Red Storm are playing their best basketball of the year right now, but they are undersized (no player in the starting five above 6-foot-9) and have a lackluster offense. A potential matchup between two Hall of Fame coaching legends could be one of the top highlights of the tournament, though KU will likely flake out when it encounters the powerhouse that is Duke.

Jack Ankony: Round of 32 loss to St. John’s

Kansas has been too inconsistent for me to trust them to make a deep run. They’re capable of beating anyone in the country, seen through wins over No. 1 Arizona and No. 5 Houston. So maybe this prediction will end up looking silly. But I can’t forget about late-season losses to non-NCAA Tournament teams like Cincinnati and Arizona State. Darryn Peterson could be the best player in any game Kansas plays, but whether they get the best version of Peterson is a big question mark. Flory Bidunga has had a great season, but Zuby Ejiofor can neutralize some of his impact. From a team-wide standpoint, I side with the toughness of St. John’s in a close game.

Pete Fiutak: Sweet 16 Loss to Duke

I’m not ruling out a Darryn and the Miracles run to the national championship if everything clicks and comes together, and I’m not discounting the idea that this could all flame out instantly in spectacular fashion against a Cal Baptist team that doesn’t have the parts to pull this off.

Here’s the real key - I don’t believe in St. John’s in any way. Kansas gets past the Red Storm and provides a nice push in the Sweet 16, but the Duke defensive intensity will be too much.

With that said, if the Jayhawks can pull off the win over the Blue Devils - and it’s not that crazy a dream - Game On. This isn’t the UConn team everyone will think it is - I have an anti-Big East thing going - and Michigan State is gettable in the East Region Final.