2017 NCAA Tournament: Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Predictions - Oregon Ducks

Tonight, two teams will enter and one will emerge with a ticket to Phoenix for the Final Four. Will it be the Oregon Ducks or our Kansas Jayhawks?

KU Grad 08: It is time. We are overdue for a third Final 4 under Self. It is simply time for it to happen. Too many good regular season teams and one seeds. It is time to get another Final 4. Which is why it won’t happen. The Elite 8 is just an absolute house of horrors for us.

Oregon 77, Kansas 73.

Mike: Grad is right about one thing - it is time. Time for Oregon to GO HOME. This Kansas team is playing great ball, having fun, and just toying with opponents. They will be playing in Phoenix for a national title. And now that Arizona has been knocked out, they don’t have to worry about anyone having a home-court advantage when they get there, either. Rock Chalk Championship, I’m calling it now. Kansas 95, Oregon 78.

dnoll5: Let’s state the obvious: If KU plays like they did against Purdue, they’re winning it all. No one can beat them when they play like that. But they probably aren’t going to play like that all the time. Good thing they don’t have to. If they even just play well, they’ll beat Oregon. The confetti in the Sprint Center is going to crimson and blue, but it won’t be as easy as it was on Thursday. Kansas 81, Oregon 69.

Winmore: The Elite Eight haunts Bill Self’s dreams. Last year everyone was worried about Maryland’s size and talent in the Sweet Sixteen. Then seemingly the whole town, school, alumni, fans, etc. sighed in relief as Villanova was seen as a lesser opponent. It kinda feels like that again here as Purdue was getting way too much love and credit from Jayhawk fans going into Thursday night’s game. Matt Painter sucks as a coach. Bill Self pantsed him on national television. Ducks coach Dana Altman does not suck, and his Oregon team, even without Chris Boucher, can hang with Kansas. I expect some of the tightness that always seems to plague Self’s teams in the Elite Eight (save that 2012 performance) to rear its head again here. Plus, it seems unlikely that the ‘Hawks can keep shooting the ball as hot as they have been. Still, the loss of Boucher has really hampered Oregon’s back line defense and Mason, Jackson and Graham will be able to drive to the hoop if the outside shots aren’t falling. It will be close though. Kansas 78, Oregon 75.

Fizzle406: I'm nervous about this one. I don't watch the Pac 12 so I don't have any ground breaking analysis here. I will say that as far as states go, Oregon is top 10. Possibly even top 5. No sales tax, great beaches and breweries, and you don't have t pump your own gas. Kansas 76, Oregon 75

Andy: I absolutely hate this game every single year. This game absolutely has the most pressure of any game in the tournament. Win and your team accomplished something. Lose and the story becomes that they failed to make the Final Four. Kansas under Bill Self, that story has too often been one of failure. But this has been a team defined by avoiding failures and overcoming obstacles. I've learned my lesson from the first 3 games of the tournament. There is no way that Frank Mason is going to let his college career end without experiencing the Final Four. Kansas 87, Oregon 79.