Dedric Lawson's 25 Pace Kansas to Easy Win vs. Northeastern in NCAA Tournament

No. 4 Kansas is onto the second round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament after an easy 87-53 win over No. 13 Northeastern.

Dedric Lawson finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds to help the Jayhawks (26-9) avoid an upset Thursday in Salt Lake City. Kansas has now reached the round of 32 in 13 straight seasons following back-to-back first-round exits in 2005 and 2006.

The preseason No. 1 team in the country has had an up-and-down year but flexed its muscle in this one by holding Northeastern (23-11) to 28.6 percent shooting from the field, including 6-of-28 from three-point range.

Vasa Pusica averaged 17.8 points per game during the season but had just seven on 2-of-13 shooting in the Huskies' final game of the season.

Dedric Lawson Keeps Kansas a Threat Despite Thin Roster

It's strange to see Kansas as a No. 4 seed, but this year hasn't gone as anticipated due to the attrition throughout the year. 

Big man Silvio De Sousa was ruled ineligible for the season, and Udoka Azubuike went down for the year with a torn ligament in his hand. Lagerald Vick then took a leave of absence from the team and did not return.

This took away potentially three important contributors as well as much-needed experience from the latter two.

However, Dedric Lawson remained on the roster and has been a dominant player throughout the season, which Northeastern saw first-hand Thursday.

The forward seemed to get whatever he wanted inside, with the Huskies having no one who could contain him:

He also stepped outside and finished 3-of-5 from three-point range:

Lawson finished with 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting and added 11 rebounds to complete the double-double.

A good team can go a long way in the tournament, but a great player can win games all on his own as we've seen countless times in this event. Lawson is a great one who averaged a double-double and carried the Jayhawks to wins plenty of times during the year.

Of course, the rest of the rotation is hardly just there to watch.

Devon Dotson has really been coming on strong as of late and had 18 against NU despite coming out for a leg injury at one point.

K.J. Lawson, Quentin Grimes and Ochai Agbaji are also talented players who can step up when needed and combined for 29 points and nine boards against the Huskies.

This group playing to its potential can be enough to win at least another game if not more.

While Auburn is a tough matchup in Round 2, the Tigers sometimes struggle to defend the paint as seen by allowing 16 points to New Mexico State's Johnny McCants for his second-highest total of the season.

Dedric Lawson can thrive while keeping Kansas' season alive a little longer.

What's Next?

Kansas will face No. 5 Auburn, which won 78-77 over the No. 12 seed earlier Thursday.