Kansas Basketball vs Arizona State: Why the Jayhawks Can’t Afford a Loss

The No. 14-ranked Kansas Jayhawks are down to their final two games of the Big 12 regular season, starting with their last road contest of the year in Tempe, Arizona, on Tuesday night for a matchup versus the Arizona State Sun Devils.

The Sun Devils, led by head coach Bobby Hurley, have struggled in conference play this year. Entering tonight’s game, the Sun Devils sit at 6-10 in Big 12 play and 15-14 overall – placing them 12th in the Big 12 standings.

Despite their ho-hum record, ASU has performed much better at home than on the road this season, going 9-5 in Tempe compared to 2-8 when being the visitor.

However, the Sun Devils have just one win over a top 25 team this year and that came on Feb. 17 at home against Texas Tech – a game where their star player JT Toppin went down to an ACL injury. That means, ASU will likely have to win the Big 12 Tournament (regardless of tonight’s outcome) in order to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Kansas, however, has much more at stake in tonight’s game.

What’s on the Line for Kansas?

The Jayhawks enter tonight’s game at 11-5 in conference play (21-8 overall). They own wins over each of the top teams in the conference this year (Arizona, Iowa State, Houston), and their mission right now is to secure a double-bye in the Big 12 Tournament next week and lock down one of the top 12 seeds in the Big Dance when tournament brackets are released on Selection Sunday, March 15.

That is what makes tonight’s game a must-win for Kansas.

The Jayhawks own a half-game lead over Iowa State in the conference standings following the Cyclones’ loss to Arizona on Monday night. KU also owns the tiebreaker over Iowa State based on the two teams’ records versus top-ranked Arizona this year (1-1 vs. 0-1) – which means that KU will secure a double-bye in the Big 12 Tournament with a win over ASU tonight.

That extra day of rest is big for this team as they look to get freshman Darryn Peterson completely healthy for postseason play. It could also help KU make a deep run in the Big 12 Tournament, which would strengthen the Jayhawks’ seeding in the NCAA Tournament so that they play their first two rounds in Oklahoma City and are placed in the Midwest (Chicago) region.

MORE: Kansas Jayhawks’ Best-Case Position in the NCAA Tournament

The Jayhawks would likely have a huge home crowd advantage if they were to reach the Sweet 16 and/or Elite Eight as Chicago is home to one of the biggest KU alumni bases in the country. But to get there, they can’t afford a loss at this stage to a team like ASU.

Currently, ESPN’s Bracketology has the Jayhawks slated as the No. 3 seed in the West region (San Jose, California) playing their first two rounds in Philadelphia. But with a win over Arizona State tonight and Kansas State this weekend, plus a strong showing in the Big 12 Tournament, KU might be able to leapfrog the other No. 3 seeds (Purdue, Iowa State, and Nebraska) and get to their preferred placement.

The path to get there can start tonight with a win over a lesser Arizona State team.