18 March 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The brackets are officially set for the 2024 Men’s and Women’s NCAA Tournaments. Some Kansas and Kansas State teams have punched their tickets to the big dance.
Kansas men’s basketball was the first area team selected, earning the four-seed in the Midwest Regional. The Jayhawks will play 13 seed Samford in the First Round. Tip off is set for 8:55 p.m. on Thursday, March 21 in Salt Lake City.
Kansas has made an NCAA record of 34 consecutive tournament selections, while the Bulldogs are in for the first time since 2000. One edge Samford may have in this matchup is their three-point shooting percentage. The team boast the seventh best average nationally shooting 39 percent from three, while the Jayhawks shoot just under 33 percent, the 237th best nationally.
“You know, everybody’s going to say they have a hard draw. I think we got a hard draw. You know, and when you think of Samford, you know, what have we labored with the most this year? It’s teams that shoot a ton of threes. And then we have a hard time making up the difference. Yeah, there’s nothing easy about the bracket that we’re in. But I’m sure other four seeds probably feel the same thing in their respective brackets too,” said Kansas men’s basketball head coach Bill Self.
As for Kansas State men’s basketball, they will not head to the tournament after falling short in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament against Iowa State.
The Wildcats have instead earned a bid to the National Invitation Tournament. The team is set to take on three-seed Iowa in the First Round Tuesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Kansas State has a season record of 19-14, finishing 8-10 in the big 12. This will be the Wildcats eighth NIT appearance, and the first since 2009.
On the women’s side, last year’s WNIT champs in the Kansas Jayhawks are in the running for a larger title. They have earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks will be the 8 seed in Regional three, taking on nine-seed Michigan.
This is Kansas’ second NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 11 season. They finished the year will nine wins out of the last 11 games. The Jayhawks placed seventh in the conference with a total of 11 Big 12 wins.
Kansas’ opponent Michigan has made the tournament six-straight times. The two teams are 1-1 against each other in program history.
Lastly, Kansas State women’s basketball has been selected as the four-seed in Regional two. The Wildcats will host 13 seed Portland at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan.
This marks the fifth NCAA Tournament bid in the last nine seasons under head coach Jeff Mittie. The Wildcat women were ranked as highly as No. 2 on the College Basketball AP Poll this season, finishing at No. 16. The team is led by senior center Ayoka Lee. However, Lee has been battling injury throughout the year which has led the team to struggle in Big 12 basketball. Regardless, they are ready for the opportunity to play for the NCAA Title.
“Really excited. I mean, we our fans have been great all year, you know, really happy. That continued on to the Big 12 Tournament. That was a fantastic K-State fall in Kansas City. So I think our fans have been excited all year. I think our team has really had a great relationship with the community and the fans so excited. All of our fans too. You know, it’s not just… Yes, it’s players and coaches. We’re excited to be here, but we’re excited that our fans got rewarded as well,” said Kansas State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie.