NCAA Tournament 2011: Can Kansas Avoid Another Early Elimination Vs. Richmond?

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

No. 1 seed Kansas vs. No. 12 seed Richmond

Region: Southwest

Time: 7:27 PM

Channel: TBS

Location: San Antonio, Texas

Game Announcers: Marv Albert and Steve Kerr

When the 2011 NCAA Tournament resumes in the Sweet 16, the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks will look to avoid another early elimination when they take on the No. 12 seed Richmond Spiders.

In the history of the No. 1 seed vs. the No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the top seed has never lost, having won all 17 matchups in the past.

Can Kansas avoid becoming the first No. 1 seed to get upset by a No. 12 seed tonight, when they tip off at approximately 7:27 PM on TBS?

The Jayhawks have had the easiest path of all the top seeds to the Final Four, and it will not get much more difficult if you don't look far past the seeds. They beat No. 16 Boston University and No. 9 seed Illinois, and will take on the winner of No. 10 Florida State and No. 11 seed VCU if they are able to advance tonight.

But they should not expect any less than their best from Richmond tonight. Chris Mooney has his Spiders playing great basketball at the right time, and there is no reason to think that will change tonight.

Pat Forde of ESPN is quick to point out that "Richmond is 5-1 against teams from big-six conferences this season, beating Purdue, Arizona State, Seton Hall, Wake Forest and Vanderbilt and losing to Georgia Tech." Therefore, they are not intimidated against schools from bigger conferences.

But this is Kansas. Can Justin Harper find enough room to put up his typical monster numbers against the Jayhawks? He averages 17.8 PPG and 6.9 RPG to go along with shooting an incredible 45 percent from behind the three point line.

Yet Jeff Borzello of CBS Sports says that Kansas is here for a reason.

"The Jayhawks are clearly the favorite in the Southwest regional, with more talent and depth than any of the other three teams remaining," says Borzello. "They have dominant inside players with Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris, perimeter shooters in Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar and a playmaker with Tyshawn Taylor. They are also one of the best defensive teams in the country. If Kansas plays to its potential, it should not be tested until the Final Four."

I feel that both men bring up valid points. In some ways, these two teams are quite similar. They both have a pair of bigs who can step back and knock down shots from the outside. They are also led by two excellent coaches.

But the Jayhawks have impressed me throughout the entire season. There is a reason why I have them cutting down the nets at the 2011 Final Four in Houston. That journey will not be interrupted by the Spiders tonight, who will put up a good fight, but ultimately be unable to catch Kansas in their web.

For more on Self's team, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Correspondent Chris O'Brien, who takes a look at the NCAA Bracket 2011: Ranking This Year's Top 10 Kansas Jayhawks.

Most recent updates:

Flag

Props (0)