The No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks will take on the No. 13 Samford Bulldogs in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Below we’ll preview both teams, including analysis and key stats while also providing our prediction. Kansas enters as an 8.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Update — Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. has been ruled out for Thursday’s first round matchup vs. Samford, coach Bill Self announced on Tuesday night.
Kansas
NET: 20
KenPom Overall: 22
KenPom O: 65
KenPom D: 10
Record: 22-10
Strength of Schedule: 3
Conference: Big 12
Conference Record: 10-8
Quad 1 Record: 7-9
Kansas is back in the NCAA Tournament for the 33rd year in a row. Led by Kevin McCullar Jr. and Hunter Dickinson, the Jayhawks finished the regular season around the middle of the Big XII. They lost three of four to finish out the regular season, but looked much stronger in earlier home matchups against several of the teams that defeated them during that stretch. The Jayhawks’ defense was their strong suit this season as they kept opponents to 40.7% from the field.
Samford
NET: 74
KenPom Overall: 82
KenPom O: 69
KenPom D: 117
Record: 29-5
Strength of Schedule: 247
Conference: SoCon
Conference Record: 15-3
Quad 1 Record: 0-2
The Samford Bulldogs earned the Southern Conference’s automatic bid after a conference championship win over ETSU. Samford, led by forward Achor Achor, had one of the top-scoring offenses in the nation this year. They averaged over 84 points per game and shot nearly 49% from the field, landing in the top 10 nationally in both stat lines.
Pick: Samford
Samford has plenty of depth, while Kansas has been dealing with injuries to their starters from the end of the regular season through their early exit from the Big XII Tournament. Samford has one of the top-scoring and best shooting offenses in the nation, giving them all the juice they need to pull off an upset.