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The West Region of the 2023 NCAA Tournament kicks things off with top-seeded Kansas (27-7) facing off with No. 16 seed Howard (22-12) on Thursday afternoon from Des Moines, Iowa.
We’ve got the rundown on where you can catch the opening round action as well as a quick preview of this David vs. Goliath matchup.
2023 March Madness: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 Howard
Date: Thursday, March 16
Start time: 2:00 p.m. ET
TV channel: TBS
Live stream: March Madness Live
The Jayhawks may be the No. 1 overall seed in the West Region but they rank as the fourth-highest in this 16-team bracket, per KenPom. Regardless, the Bill Self-led Kansas team is battle-tested, and outside of a rough stretch in the middle of the year that saw Kansas drop four out of six games, the Jayhawks have steamrolled the competition to close out the season. The Jayhawks went 9-2 through their final 11 games.
They’ll need to ensure an upset isn’t brewing as they face the No. 16-seed Bison, who are dancing in March for the first time since 1992. Elijah Hawkins racked up enough points (13 PPG) and dimes (5.9 APG) to top the team’s leaderboards, while William Settle leads the way with 5.7 RPG on the glass.