Kansas sits in a solid position in the latest NCAA Tournament projections, and there are still plenty of resume-building games on the upcoming schedule.
ESPN’s newest Bracketology update lists Kansas as a No. 4 seed, while CBS Sports has Kansas as a No. 5. February opens with a brutal run and the Jayhawks have the chance to build a stronger case for their tournament placement, or they could drop down with some losses.
After hosting BYU on Jan. 31, Kansas heads to Lubbock to face No. 11 Texas Tech on Feb. 2, then returns home for Utah on Feb. 7. Two days later comes a marquee showdown at Allen Fieldhouse against No. 1 Arizona, followed by a Feb. 14 road trip to No. 8 Iowa State.
Four-ranked teams in five games is about as unforgiving as it gets, and coach Bill Self knows it.
“Everybody is going to go through a hard phase of their schedule,” Self said. “This is certainly the toughest phase of ours.”
Kansas enters the stretch playing some of its best basketball of the season having won four in a row, stacking quality wins and tightening things defensively. The Jayhawks have looked more settled in recent weeks, even while navigating Darry Peterson's limited availability.
Still, Self admitted the timing of a brief break earlier this week felt odd.
“We are actually playing pretty well, so sometimes when you are playing well you do not want time off,” he said. “But from a rest standpoint, I cannot see it being remotely negative at all.”
The coming stretch will go a long way in shaping Kansas’ March outlook. A strong showing could move the Jayhawks toward a protected seed. A slip would drop them back into the crowded middle of the bracket.