The NCAA tournament is coming to Kansas City at the Sprint Center on Friday and Sunday, and there’s going to be a little bit of everything for college basketball fans.
That includes a local favorite as the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks take on 16th-seeded Western Kentucky. Kansas should cruise to the second round against a 15-loss Hilltoppers squad that is lucky to find itself in the tournament, but there could be a tough matchup waiting.
Eighth-seeded North Carolina takes on ninth-seeded Villanova, and if the Tar Heels prevail, there will be plenty of familiarity between North Carolina and Kansas. That’s because Roy Williams spent 15 years coaching the Jayhawks before bolting to the Tar Heels. If those two meet up, there may be little love lost between Jayhawks fans and Williams.
Meanwhile, fifth-seeded Wisconsin takes on 12th-seeded Mississippi in the seed pairing most infamous for producing upsets. Ole Miss could be a good candidate, coming in off an SEC tournament title after knocking off Florida. The winner of that game will advance to play the winner of Kansas State against either Boise State or La Salle in a four seed versus 13-seed matchup. The Broncos and Explorers meet in a play-in game to determine the final matchup in Kansas City.
The atmosphere should be electric for both sessions, as there are sure to be plenty of Kansas and Kansas State fans in attendance. That will make for a home court atmosphere, but also a louder-than-usual venue for some early NCAA tournament sites.
It’s the rare pod of games that could give spectators a look at a national title contender in top-seeded Kansas, a likely to be hotly contested eight versus nine matchup in Villanova against North Carolina and potentially a strong storyline if the Tar Heels and Jayhawks meet up.
Once you factor in the upset-rich seedings in the other matchups, there’s a bit of everything in Kansas City.
Don’t miss out on the chance to take part in all of the March Madness. Make sure to get your tickets today, before it’s too late.