Kansas vs Cal Baptist: Dominique Daniels Fits Mold of a Classic March Hero

Every single March, a handful of unexpected players rise to the occasion to etch their names into the NCAA history books. Kansas' opponent in the Round of 64, California Baptist, is hoping that senior point guard Dominique Daniels Jr. can be the player for that program.

One of the biggest storylines surrounding the first-round contest in San Diego is how the Jayhawks will cover the shifty Daniels. He is averaging 23.2 points per game across 32 appearances, good for the fifth-highest scoring mark in the country.

Daniels' story makes him almost too good to be true to be a March Madness legend. A native of Compton, California, he began his collegiate career at a local JUCO before joining the Lancers.

During his three-year career in Riverside, Daniels has been an All-WAC selection in every season and took home the WAC Player of the Year award earlier this month. He hit a game-winning 3-point shot in the conference tournament championship and has now led the school to its first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament appearance.

At 5-foot-10, Daniels may not look too dangerous, but what he lacks in size he makes up for with his shot-creating ability. Kansas head coach Bill Self was amazed by how well he gets to the paint at his stature when watching film before his team's matchup.

"He's good, and he can score on anybody at any level. He's capable of getting 30, 35, any night," Self said in a press conference on Thursday. "The thing that I think is so interesting about him is he is so downhill. And he's a good shooter, without question, but his speed and his strength and shiftiness makes it hard to switch. He can just put a lot of pressure on the defense every possession. We've played against some good scorers this year, and obviously he's different from a size standpoint like AJ [Dybantsa], but he's a real guy, he can score the ball."

Dec 6, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; California Baptist Lancers guard Dominique Daniels Jr. (1) drives against Utah Utes guard Obomate Abbey (21) during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

In an overtime win over Utah Valley in January, Daniels scored a school-record 47 points (13-for-21 shooting) in the best performance of his collegiate career. Nights like those show exactly why he ranks among the most dangerous, prolific bucket-getters the sport has to offer.

Efficiency has been an issue for the CBU phenom, as he is a lifetime 40.5% field goal shooter and 31.4% 3-point shooter. However, Daniels has never let his confidence waver when his shot isn't falling since he knows his team's offense relies solely on him.

Daniels fits the mold of a high-usage, undersized volume guard like Max Abmas was at Oral Roberts when he led them to a Sweet 16 appearance in 2021. He's someone who is capable of single-handedly turning a tournament game into a national coming-out party for himself. If the Kansas defense does not tighten up on him, Coach Self's group could be in for a troublesome night.