Times wires
Saturday, March 26, 2011
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Kansas is the only No. 1 seed left in the tournament, essentially favored to win it all at this point.
Then again, the Jayhawks should still be around. All they have had to play so far are teams seeded 16th, ninth and 12th.
And they have to be called the team to beat considering what's ahead: the lowest seed left in the field, No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth, in the Southwest Region final today, and Butler, a No. 8 seed, awaiting in the Final Four.
With all due respect to the upset specialists still in Kansas' way, this roll call of fattened seeds is enough to make coach Bill Self wonder if he has a team of destiny that catches all the breaks — or if this is some sort of elaborate setup.
No NCAA champion has had a path that, on paper, was as easy as this would be. In 1990, UNLV won the title by beating teams whose seeds added up to a record-high of 54. Kansas would be at 56 just by getting to the final.
"We're not going to overlook any team," said Markieff Morris, Kansas' top rebounder and second-leading scorer. "I think we respect them enough to execute and guard them like they're the Dukes and North Carolinas."
But there's a difference between pretending a team is a battle-tested, proven champion and actually believing it when you step on the court.
Maybe that's why history suggests Kansas could be in trouble, if not today then next weekend in Houston.
The Jayhawks are the fourth top seed to play a No. 11 with a Final Four spot on the line. Only two won.
They also would be the third team to reach the Final Four without facing anyone seeded higher than ninth. The others, North Carolina in 1991 and Michigan State in 2001, lost in the national semifinals.
"Every team is vulnerable this time of year, especially No. 1 seeds, because I think other teams like to gun for them," Kansas senior guard Tyrel Reed said.
"But you can't try to protect being the No. 1 seed. You've got to go out and take what's yours and just play the team that's in front of you."
Now that they're the only top seed left, Self joked the only excitement is simply that they're still playing. Last season, the Jayhawks were the No. 1 overall seed yet lost in the second round.
So it didn't take seeing Pittsburgh losing last weekend, Duke losing on Thursday or overall No. 1 Ohio State losing on Friday for the Jayhawks to understand having a top seed guarantees nothing.
"The No. 1 seeds that have exited the tournament so far, I think, is more of a statement to what can happen in college basketball than anything else," Self said.
"When you have this many good teams and good players, things like that do happen. But we're just worried about San Antonio, Texas, today playing VCU. And if we're fortunate enough to advance, we'll worry about whoever we're playing once we get there."