Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Predictions: Seton Hall Pirates

The Kansas Jayhawks survived a scare against Penn in the first round, but it did anything but inspire confidence in the Jayhawks moving forward. All that can change today with a strong showing against the Seton Hall Pirates, especially if it coincides with a healthy return for Udoka Azubuike. Will the fans get what they want to see so badly?

Mike.Plank: Although Seton Hall is an experienced bunch, they haven’t fared well against top 10 competition this year, going 0-4 against Villanova and Xavier. If Kansas can match their focus and intensity, the Jayhawks should win this by a comfortable 8-12 point margin. But this Kanas team doesn’t like to make things look easy, so look for a 15-2 run somewhere along the line to turn a deficit into a lead, followed by Kansas pulling away in the final five minutes. Kansas 88, Seton Hall 80.

David: My one game of the tournament where I was confident is over. I can’t help but picture KU’s big losses to OSU when I look at this game. Seton Hall is a very good offensive rebounding team, and though they don’t shoot a ton of threes, they’re well above average when they do shoot from beyond the arc. I see a game where they get way too many misses, and connect on far too many wide open looks. Our fears about an early exit from this team will be realized. Seton Hall 83, Kansas 80

dnoll5: The pressure is off as far as I’m concerned. KU is going to take care of business in this game, and for some reason, I think they’re going to roll. The minutes Dok got against Penn were like a glorified practice for him with contact, and he’ll be ready to contribute minutes when needed. Another big game for Graham and a big shooting day for Svi makes this a big win going into the Sweet 16. Kansas 80, Seton Hall 63.

Fizzle406: Seton Hall? More like Beat-on Hall. Cause Kansas is going to win. Kansas 77, Seton Hall 69

Kyle_Davis21: Seton Hall’s offense and rebounding is concerning, but there’s a reason this team has lost 11 games. The Pirates’ defense gives up nearly 74 points per game and is the opposite of Penn when it comes to defending the 3-point line. Seton Hall has allowed opponents to shoot 755 3-pointers this year, which ranks 251st in 3-pointers allowed. Which means KU should have plenty of open looks, and just needs to shoot decently from 3 and the Jayhawks will be on to the Sweet 16. Kansas 81, Seton Hall 75

Andy Mitts: I’m just as uneasy with this game as I was with basically every single game this year, and I don’t anticipate that changing. But I don’t see any reason to expect that this game is any different than any of the other games we played. Thus, while the offensive rebounding abilities are concerning, I’m expecting the outside shooting to be able to pick up the slack and Devonte’ Graham is going to be able to take over the game late as usual. Kansas 78, Seton Hall 71.