No. 1 Kansas Tops No. 4 Providence, Advances to 1st Elite Eight Since 2018
The top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks avoided becoming the third No. 1 seed to be eliminated in the Sweet 16 by defeating the fourth-seeded Providence Friars 66-61 on Friday at the United Center in Chicago.
Kansas earned a spot in the Sweet 16 by beating Texas Southern and Creighton. The Jayhawks were coming off a hard-fought battle against Creighton, and that momentum carried over against the Friars.
Before Friday, the Jayhawks hadn't reached the Elite Eight since they did so in back-to-back seasons between 2016-17 and 2017-18. They haven't won the title since the 2007-08 season, but with teams like Gonzaga, Arizona, Kentucky and Baylor already eliminated, anything can happen. After all, it is March Madness.
Notable Performers
Jalen Wilson, Kansas: 16 PTS, 11 REB, 1 STL
Al Durham, Providence: 21 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL
Remy Martin, Kansas: 23 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST
Noah Horchler, Providence: 10 PTS, 9 REB
Christian Braun, Kansas: 6 PTS, 10 REB, 2 AST
Jayhawks Hold Off Late Push From Friars
Providence had an unimpressive first half against Kansas, struggling to shoot both from the floor and three-point range. However, it began to turn things around in the second half.
After trailing 26-17 at intermission, the Friars stormed back and held a brief 48-47 lead with about six minutes to go in the game, putting more pressure on the Jayhawks than they had all night.
However, Kansas fought off the push thanks to players like Remy Martin, Ochai Agbaji and David McCormack. Martin, in particular, was instrumental in Friday's win, finishing with 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
This kind of resiliency is nothing new for the Jayhawks, who have been solid defensively throughout this tournament. Christian Braun even told reporters Thursday that when the defense plays well, everything else falls into place, and that's exactly what happened Friday.
"It is a big focus of ours, focus on defense, because we know when we get out and we get stops, we get out in transition, we can run. And that's when we’re at our best," Braun said, according to Glenn Kinley of KSNT. "When we get our stops that's when we're at our best."
If the Jayhawks are going to make it past the Elite Eight, though, they're going to have to prevent the type of comeback that Providence mounted. If they can ratchet up the defense even further, they should be in good shape against either team they face in the next round.
Early Shooting Struggles Cost Friars
Providence got off to a slow start offensively. And while some of that has to do with the shutdown defense Kansas played, the Friars didn't help themselves by missing shots.
Through the first nine-plus minutes of the first half, Providence scored just six points, and the offense didn't get rolling until about five minutes before halftime. The Friars' 17 first-half points were their lowest of any half during the NCAA tournament.
And while the Friars shot better in the second half, they still finished shooting just 33.8 percent from the floor and 17.4 percent from deep. To put those numbers in perspective, Providence shot 43.8 percent from the floor and 35.0 percent from deep this season.
Ed Cooley's team had also been known for its grit in getting to the free-throw line, but it was limited to 16 attempts from the charity stripe against Kansas. The Friars entered averaging 21 free-throw attempts per game, which further highlights how disciplined the Jayhawks defense was Friday.
While Providence is heading home with a disappointing loss, this year's tournament was still its best since the 1996-97 season when it reached the Elite Eight, and that's something to be proud of.
What's Next?
The Jayhawks will move on to face No. 10 Miami or No. 11 Iowa State.
