LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball is in the midst of an eight-game winning streak, following a Big 12 Conference victory Monday at home against Arizona.
The No. 9 Jayhawks (19-5, 9-2 in Big 12) just dealt the No. 1 Wildcats their first loss of the season. KU did so, without freshman guard Darryn Peterson available. It was a win that both showcased how well Kansas can perform regardless of whether Peterson is on the court and left one wondering once more what the group’s ceiling can be if Peterson is regularly available.
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Kansas’ attention now turns toward a game Saturday on the road against No. 4 Iowa State. The two teams met earlier this season in Lawrence, in a game the Jayhawks won with ease. This rematch will once again test what KU is capable of on the road against a high-profile opponent in a challenging environment.
RELATED: How Darryn Peterson ended up missing Kansas basketball vs Arizona
Before KU and Iowa State match up, though, here are some of the latest NCAA tournament bracketology projections for the Jayhawks as of Tuesday afternoon:
This projection places Kansas as the No. 3 seed in the East Region, with a round of 64 matchup against No. 14 seed North Dakota State. Win, and the Jayhawks would play against either No. 6 seed Clemson or one of a pair of No. 11 seeds in UCLA or San Diego State. Should KU advance all the way to the Sweet 16, a couple of potential matchups include No. 10 seed Texas and No. 2 seed Illinois.
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This projection places Kansas as the No. 3 seed in the East Region, with a round of 64 matchup against No. 14 seed ETSU. Either No. 6 seed Louisville or No. 11 seed Santa Clara would await KU in the next round, should the Jayhawks advance. Of course, Louisville and Kansas are no strangers to each other, as the two played in an exhibition game ahead of the season that KU won on the road.
This projection places Kansas as the No. 2 seed in the East Region, with a round of 64 matchup against No. 15 seed Harvard. A win would see the Jayhawks go up against either No. 7 seed Villanova or No. 10 seed Texas in the next round. A potentially high-profile Sweet 16 matchup could occur, with No. 3 seed Purdue in the region as well.
Dec. 22, 2025; Lawrence, Kansas; Kansas basketball’s Paul Mbiya (34) dunks the ball against Davidson during the second half of a game at Allen Fieldhouse.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball: Jayhawks’ NCAA tournament seed projections
