KU Predictions: NCAA Tournament - Austin Peay

Round 1 is here! Action has already kicked off, but we had to make some last minute predictions in order to round up as much good juju for the weekend as possible. Austin Peay has done well this season just making the tournament and Kansas shouldn’t have any problems in this one, right guys?

NineToesBlogging: There are two things I am very confident about this week. One, my bracket will be ruined in the first day and two, the Kansas Jayhawks should have no trouble this weekend. I was quoted with saying earlier this year that this is the best team that Bill Self has ever had. I will admit I was a bit over zealous. But let me make another quote. This is the first team since 2013 that I truly believe a National Championship is more than possible. See what I did there? I looked ahead, that is the one thing the Kansas Jayhawks can not afford to do. With that said, Congratulation to Austin Peay, making the tournament is an outstanding achievement but Kansas is too fast, too big, too good. Kansas 88, Austin Peay 67

Fizzle406: I’m seeing all the experts saying that KU has a 99% chance of winning this first game and the line is something like 25 points. I am still scared of some dorky white kid with a bad haircut from Austin Peay lighting us up from 3 and making this game way too close. Kansas 78, Austin Peay 67

David: Austin Peay does a handful of things well, and if this were last year's Kansas team, those things would be stressing me out. The Governors are solid on the offensive boards, block quite a few shots, get to the line a ton, and shoot well on twos. Fortunately this year's KU team is much improved on the defensive boards with the emergence of Landen Lucas, and getting shots thrown back in their face has not been a big problem this year. Austin Peay turns the ball over a LOT, but Kansas doesn't typically take advantage of that. Still, I foresee some transition baskets that will blow this game open. The Governors allow teams to shoot very well from two, and aside from the shotblocking, really play terrible defense. This may be close for a little while, but Kansas pulls away and wins comfortably. Kansas 81, Austin Peay 64

dnoll5: Kansas is better, and that’s enough. The problem that I always have and that KU sometimes has (it’s natural) is to look at a team that snuck into the tournament and think that they aren’t that good or that all they have to do is show up and win. Of course, the coaching staff is saying the right things and so are the players, but it’s Austin Peay. And you’re Kansas. Those thoughts sometimes creep in. That said, I think this KU team is different. I really believe that they are taking it one game at a time, and I think a deep tournament run is in the cards because of it. Kansas 90, Austin Peay 62

Winmore: Every year Kansas fans go into sweaty palms, losing sleep mode over the ‘Hawks placement in the tournament and whoever Kansas draws, no matter how small the school. The UTEPs, the Rhode Islands, the Bucknells, Bradleys, Northern Iowas, and VCUs have seemed to do irreversible harm to Jayhawk fans’ emotional states. Shake it off now. You either trust your team or you don’t. Over the last month and change, this Jayhawks team has done more than enough to earn its fans’ trust. Six games to go. Count ‘em down. That’s it. Enjoy the ride, especially when game one serves up a cupcake the Jayhawks will most likely be running away from by the second TV timeout..Kansas 98, Austin Peay 69

mikeville: Do you like dunks? Do you like lots of points? Do you like it when Kansas wins by 25? Then you will love watching the Jayhawks in the First Round. Y’all so crazy. Kansas 95, Austin Peay 70

misterbrain: Welcome to the last game of the season that you can watch without any pressure, anxiety or nail-biting. Kansas shouldn’t have a problem with this one, even if Sam Brownback can’t decide which team to root for. Kansas 97, Austin Peay 68