Coming off a devastating loss to Houston in the Big 12 Tournament, Kansas enters the 2026 March Madness tournament on unstable ground. The Jayhawks have been shaky all year and enter the biggest tournament of the season just 4-5 in their last nine games.
While the Darryn Peterson drama has overshadowed most of Kansas' season, it has not been the problem late in the year. Peterson's injury status was the main story for the Jayhawks' early, but he has not missed a game since Feb. 9, which was the final leg of their eight-game win streak.
Peterson drama aside, Kansas ended the 2025-2026 college basketball regular season with a 22-9 record. They went 1-1 in the Big 12 Tournament, moving them to 23-10 entering the NCAA Tournament.
Kansas looked like the cream of the crop through the first three months, but a shaky end to the year puts them in a woeful position with March Madness on deck. The Jayhawks are 9-9 in Quad 1 games and 7-1 against Quad 2, according to the NET Rankings.
Kansas already has its work cut out for it, but all it can do is wait and see how much trouble it March Madness Selection Sunday will put it in.
The three-point line hurts Kansas on both ends
Many critics still blame Peterson's flippant status for Kansas' recent struggles, noticing how difficult it has been for Bill Self's team to establish a rhythm without knowing if its star player would be in the lineup. The Jayhawks are certainly out of sync offensively, but their main issue has nothing to do with Peterson and has been a thorn in their sides all year.
Despite having arguably the best scorer in college basketball on its roster, Kansas' offense is too prone to stalling out. The Jayhawks are a defense-first team, but they go far too long without scoring against the best teams in the country.
Kansas' offensive limitations stem from its inability to convert from behind the arc at a high rate. While they have three players who can effectively get into the paint at will — Peterson, Melvin Council Jr. and Flory Bidunga — they only hit 7.4 triples per game, ranking 211th in the nation. Peterson hits 38.4 percent of his long-range attempts, second on the team behind Tre White's 42.1 percent clip, but only one other rotational player hits more than 35 percent.
As poorly as Kansas shoots from deep, it is even worse at defending it. The Jayhawks defend the line well, only allowing opponents to hit 30.7 percent of their attempts, but teams beat them on sheer volume. They allow 26.6 three-point attempts per game, ranking 332nd, leading to 8.2 converted triples per contest, ranking 240th.
Kansas' subpar shooting pairs horribly with its three-point-funnel defense, often forcing it to play a perfect game to remain competitve against elite teams. That will inevitably come back to haunt self in the NCAA Tournament.
Kansas' 2026 March Madness nightmare scenarios
Kansas is not a team anyone wants to see in March Madness, if not solely because of Peterson. The projected No. 1 NBA Draft pick has not shot the ball well recently, but he is one of a handful of players who can take over any game in the blink of an eye.
The Jayhawks are a difficult team to score against in the paint, which matches up well against teams with size. Their physicality and defensive grit allowed them to compete with and upset Houston, Arizona and Texas Tech, three teams that pride themselves on their size.
However, Kansas' tendency to allow a bevy of three-point attempts opens the window for a potential first-round upset. The Jayhawks project as a three to five-seed in the NCAA Tournament, putting them in the range of potentially facing several perimeter-oriented teams that love to shoot from deep.
Kansas could find themselves in trouble against teams like Akron, Queens or Miami (OH), which all rank in the top 50 in the country in three-pointers made. Even worse for the Jayhawks would be potential second-round matchups against Alabama, Nebraska, Illinois or Louisville, four of the 10-best three-point shooting teams.
A matchup against Nebraska or Illinois would be worst-case scenario for Kansas, as two teams that hit from deep and defend the paint at a high level. The Jayhawks have struggled mightily against teams with similar foundations, including Houston, which just handed them their worst loss of the season.
Kansas has the talent and experience to be a Final Four team, but it could also suffer an early exit, depending on the game. Unfortunately for Self, his team's biggest weaknesses are often exploited by mid-majors in March Madness.
