The excitement of March Madness is on the horizon, yet this year, the Kansas City area will see fewer of its teams stepping onto the national stage of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. On Selection Sunday, only the University of Kansas secured its spot in the much-anticipated Big Dance. This development is a sharp departure from the previous year when not just the Jayhawks, but also the University of Missouri and Kansas State, had earned their places in the tournament. It was a notable moment in 2023, marking the first occasion in five years that all three institutions had participated in the tournament.
Kansas State found itself narrowly missing out on the tournament for 2024, while Missouri’s performance in 2023 turned out to be less impressive than hoped. After a challenging season, the Tigers ended up at the lower end of the Southeastern Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Kansas men’s basketball team continues its impressive streak, heading to the NCAA Tournament for the 34th year in a row. In 2024, the Jayhawks are positioned as a 4-seed in the Midwest Region, which matches the lowest seeding during Bill Self’s tenure in Lawrence.
In the opening round, the 4-seed Kansas will face off against 13-seed Samford in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 21, 2024. The Jayhawks are eager to welcome back Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr. for the start of the tournament. These two key players, responsible for about half of Kansas’s scoring, were absent during the Big 12 Tournament. Additionally, the Midwest Region games in Salt Lake City on Thursday will feature a match between 5-seed Gonzaga and 12-seed McNeese State.
The announcement for the women’s brackets is set to take place later this evening, adding to the anticipation for fans of college basketball.