KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There will be a day, there will be a game when basic logic prevails and a No. 1 seed goes down in its first game of the NCAA Tournament.
But it wasn’t going to be Friday night.
Top-seeded Kansas, one of college basketball’s most storied programs, was nearly engraved in infamy, but the Jayhawks postponed the eventuality from becoming reality with a 64-57 win over 16th-seeded Western Kentucky after trailing by one at halftime in the second-round game.
In a tournament with several shockers, the Hilltoppers kept it close until the end, but trailed almost the entire second half while shooting 8-of-39 from the field, improving No. 1 seeds to 116-0 against 16-seeds.
Kansas’ (30-5) win sets up a rematch of last year’s regional final with eighth-seeded North Carolina and former coach Roy Williams.
“Well, I think personally it’s just part of human nature to kind of not be prepared for a smaller team,” senior Elijah Johnson said. “But a North Carolina/Kansas game, I think everybody comes ready to play. There’s going to be so much juice in the building. Roy is coming back.”
The Hilltoppers were 20-point underdogs, but took a 20-16, with 8:28 left in the first half behind several second-chance points. The lead changed 11 times in a wild first-half at the Sprint Center, but Western Kentucky (20-16) ended it with a 31-30 lead.
“There was a little bit different feel in the locker room before the game,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We were tight. I think sometimes playing at home sometimes puts more pressure than you than playing away. We didn’t respond real well to the advantages we had.”
Kansas took the lead back at the onset of the second half and never let go, jumping ahead after Kevin Young followed his own miss with a reverse dunk.
Outside the building, the country rooted for Cinderella, but inside, roughly 35 minutes from Kansas’ campus, the fans cheered for the evil step-family, reaching decibel levels loud enough to crack glass slippers.
“We were happy of course, we had a lead against a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but we talked about stepping on their throat and finishing it off,” Western Kentucky forward George Fant said. “We came out slow in the second half and that’s all it takes.”
Despite playing with practically no poise, the Jayhawks led by 11 with three minutes left, as Western Kentucky hit just 3-of-20 3-point attempts. Appearing in their second straight NCAA Tournament, the Hilltooppers struggled against center Jeff Withey, who finished with seven blocks and a game-high 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while their leading-scorer, T.J. Price, was limited to 12 points on 3-of-13 shooting.
Down five with 53 seconds left, senior Jamal Crook had an opportunity to get the deficit to one possession, but the guard was unable to finish a strong drive, ensuring history would have to wait at least one more year.