Big 12 Champion Kansas (30-4) makes its 18th straight and 36th overall NCAA Tournament appearance as a No. 1 seed in the West Region and will take on Niagara (23-11) Friday, March 16, at 7:10 p.m. ET at the United Center in Chicago. The Jayhawks – 2007 Big 12 regular-season champions – are coming off their fifth Big 12 and ninth overall league tournament title after their 88-84 overtime win against then-No. 14 Texas Sunday. This marks the seventh time since seeding started in the NCAA Tournament that the Jayhawks have been a No. 1 seed.
The Jayhawks 30 victories are the most in the Bill Self era while at Kansas. The Jayhawks average 78.4 points per game and is giving up 61. The Jayhawks are out rebounding foes 40.4 to 32.9 per game and hold a 49.0 to 37.4 field goal percentage edge. Kansas is a young team, as its top five scorers are sophomores and freshmen. Seven Jayhawks earned postseason Big 12 accolades in 2006-07. Sophomore guard Brandon Rush, an All-Big 12 First Team selection each of the last two seasons, leads Kansas in scoring at 13.8 points per game and with 66 three-point field goals made. The victory extended the Purple Eagles' winning streak to 12-straight games.
The Jayhawks have been installed by oddsmakers at most offshore sportsbooks with a -19 point chalk and a 150 total. The Purple Eagles will have a difficult time running with the Jayhawks. Pick: Kansas -19.
The Virginia Tech Hokies, (21-11) will play the Fighting Illini of the University of Illinois Friday night at 7:10 p.m. ET in one of the more evenly matched games of the region .The Hokies are the fifth seed in the West Region and earned an at-large bid out of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Illinois, 23-11 overall, are the 12th seed. Illinois earned an at-large bid out of the Big Ten Conference. The Hokies are favored by oddsmakers with a -3.0 chalk and a 119 point total. Pick: Virginia Tech -3.
The Southern Illinois Salukis (27-6) regular season champs of the highly respected Missouri Valley Conference and recipients of a very favorable West Regional seed (4) take on the Patriot Conference champs the Holy Cross Crusaders (25-8) with a 9:30 p.m. tip-off Friday. The Salukis return all five starters from last season and enter this tournament with the attitude they can beat anybody. Holy Cross, has traditionally been hard to beat in the first round losing to Kentucky, Kansas and Marquette by a total of 19 points in a three year span 2001-03. SIU is an -8.0 point favorite with a 112 point total at most offshore sportsbooks. The Pick: SIU -8.
The eight-seed Kentucky Wildcats (21-11) will try to avoid a first round exit when they play the nine-seed Villanova Wildcats tonight in the West Regional. Kentucky earned its 16th consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament, earning the No. 8 seed in the West Regional. The bid is Kentucky’s NCAA record 48th appearance in the tournament. Kentucky has advanced to the second round in each of the past 15 NCAA Tournaments, the longest such streak in the country.
Villanova will wear dancing shoes for the third straight year after earning an at-large bid out of the BIG EAST. Entering the NCAA Tournament, Villanova carries a 22-10 overall record after going 9-7 during regular season BIG EAST games. The Wildcats rate No. 19 in the RPI, according to espn.com, and all but one of the team's losses has come to teams with at least 20 victories. Villanova defeated two ranked teams during the year and won at least one game in the BIG EAST Tournament for the fourth straight season.
