Kansas Basketball’s Early Bracketology Seed Revealed

The Jayhawks have some work ahead if they’re aiming for a No. 1 seed.

Dec 31, 2024; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts during the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

March Madness is still a ways off, but it’s never too early to start thinking about brackets.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi updated his Bracketology projections on Tuesday, and Kansas basketball fans will be happy to see the Jayhawks sitting in a solid spot.

Lunardi currently projects Kansas as a No. 3 seed in the Midwest region, squaring off against No. 14 UMass Lowell in the first round.

Sure, it’s January and there’s a lot of basketball left to play, but with the Big 12 well-represented in the field, it’s clear Kansas is in the mix in one of the strongest conferences in the nation.

Who’s In the Hunt?

The Big 12 is making its presence known with eight teams projected to make the tournament, second only to the SEC with 13. That includes Kansas, along with other heavyweights like Houston, Baylor and Iowa State. But some notable names, like UCF and BYU, are just on the outside looking in for now. Meanwhile, teams like Texas Tech are holding onto their spots by the slimmest of margins.

Kansas by the Numbers...

If you’re into odds, TeamRankings.com has plenty of reasons for optimism when it comes to the Jayhawks:

• Tournament Chances: 99.5%
• Odds for an Automatic Bid: 11.3%
• Most Likely Seed: No. 3 (19.9%)
• Final Four Odds: 13.7%
• National Championship Odds: 2.7%

Kansas is all but guaranteed to make the field, but the seeding and path forward will depend heavily on how they handle Big 12 play.

A strong finish could bump them higher than their current projection, while stumbles might make things a little tougher in March.

(All rankings courtesy of ESPN, Joe Lunardi, and TeamRankings.com.)

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