ESPN’s Bracketology writer on Kansas Jayhawks: ‘Something’s not right in Lawrence’
The Kansas men’s basketball team entered the month of December with a 7-0 record and the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll.
Since then, the Jayhawks have a 12-11 record and have fallen out of the Top 25 completely. Their latest loss came Monday night at Houston as the Cougars won 65-59.
KU’s nine conference losses are the most for the program since the 1982-83 season, but the Jayhawks are still viewed favorably by national Bracketology writers.
Well, mostly favorably.
Following Monday’s loss, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi was on “SportsCenter” and discussed KU’s outlook for the NCAA Tournament.
“I’ve got them as a seven (seed) right now coming of this loss tonight at Houston,” Lunardi told Scott Van Pelt. “And I still think that their range is six or seven on Selection Sunday. I get the sense that you’re thinking eight, nine, maybe. I just don’t think the committee will drop them that far. And if you look at them side by side with the other teams in that range, the eight, nine range, there’s still a good step above them.
“But I will say this: (coach) Bill Self has never been worse than a four-seed ever in 20 years at Kansas. So you have to tip your hat to that while also saying something’s not right in Lawrence.”
Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projection, which was released a few days ago, had Kansas as a No. 6 seed in the Midwest, so the Jayhawks slipped one spot.
CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm has a similar thought on the Jayhawks. Palm’s Bracketology projections were released Tuesday morning, with KU as a No. 6 seed in the East Region.
Palm wrote this before Kansas lost to Houston on Monday night: “Kansas has been slowly sliding down the bracket and is currently a No. 6 seed. Since a win at Cincinnati on Jan. 11, the Jayhawks are just 7-7. They have suffered three home losses this season, which is more like a five-season total for them. This is a great chance for Kansas to get the momentum going in the right direction in the most important month to do so. A win would move the Jayhawks up to a No. 5 seed with a visit from Arizona still to come before the Big 12 Tournament.”
USA Today’s latest NCAA Tournament projection has the Jayhawks as a No. 8 seed in the South Region.
The Sporting News also has KU as a No. 8 seed, although it doesn’t predict regions. This is from that story: “The Jayhawks are in a bit of a free-fall under Bill Self, but they still have a 5-9 record against Quad 1 and have not lost outside Quad 2.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 9:40 AM with the headline "ESPN’s Bracketology writer on Kansas Jayhawks: ‘Something’s not right in Lawrence’."
