March Madness bracket busters 2024: 5 high seeds who will go down early

Kansas Jayhawks

While Kansas is a true blue blood, this has been one of the most trying years in Bill Self's tenure. After lording over the Big 12 for years, the Jayhawks were a middle-of-the-pack team this season, going just 10-8 in conference play to finish sixth in the regular season.

The road was also a major issue for Kansas, which went 15-1 at Allen Fieldhouse and just 7-9 in road/neutral games. While playing in the Big 12 isn't easy since the conference is loaded with NCAA Tournament-caliber teams, Kansas found ways to lose on the road to UCF, West Virginia and Kansas State, none of whom made the field of 68.

The Jayhawks are also banged up as both Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar had to miss Kansas' loss to Cincinnati in the Big 12 Tournament due to various issues. Early word is that both players will be ready to go for the first round but if either guy isn't effective it will make life very hard for Kansas.

The committee did the Jayhawks no favors in the first round with an explosive 13-seed in Samford that is deeper than them. If they survive that, drawing Gonzaga or Cinderella candidate McNeese in the Round of 32 in the altitude of Salt Lake City feels like too tough a task for the walking wounded edition of Kansas.