Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishKansas and Arkansas meet in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with two legendary coaches meeting. It’s Kansas’ Bill Self against Arkansas’ John Calipari. With Rick Pitino’s St. John’s potentially waiting in the next round, this section of the bracket is all about coaches with lengthy, loaded resumes.We’ve got a breakdown of the strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the matchup, plus odds and viewing info. Our game previews are a collaborative effort between The Athletic staff, The Field of 68 and Brad Evans’ The Gaming Juice.How to watch Kansas vs. Arkansas
What: West Regional, first round
Venue: Amica Mutual Pavilion — Providence, R.I.
Time: 7:10 p.m. ET Thursday
TV: CBS
Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
Watching in-person? Get tickets on StubHub.
Own your bracket pool with The AthleticProjecting the bracket | Best picks to win the title | Best bracket namesNo. 7 Kansas JayhawksStrengths: Bill Self built Kansas into one of the best defensive teams this season. Dajuan Harris Jr. is an elite on-ball defender at the point of attack, and KJ Adams Jr. is as versatile as any frontcourt player. The Jayhawks contest 3-pointers, protect the paint and end possessions on the glass. Hunter Dickinson is a skilled big man capable of recording a 30-point, double-double. Combine that with the fact Self is the coach of this team, and there are reasons to be bullish about KU thriving in a single-game setting.Weaknesses: Kansas, the preseason No. 1 team, has been so disappointing due to the high expectations placed on a flawed roster. For starters, floor spacing is a major issue. In a vacuum, Harris, Adams and Dickinson are all among the top-10 players at their positions. However, Harris and Adams don’t draw defenses beyond the 3-point line, and that creates problems for Dickinson, who needs room to be able to seal and score in the paint. That’s why the Jayhawks are the worst high-major team in the country at getting to the free-throw line. Opponents can just pack the lane and make it a nightmare to get paint or post touches. AJ Storr has been a complete bust in the transfer market, and while Zeke Mayo has been good and Rylan Griffen and David Coit have had their moments, they don’t make up for the flaws within the core of this team. To overcome them, you have to be perfect doing everything else. Kansas has not been perfect.Outlook: KU won’t make much noise in the NCAA Tournament. That feels like an odd thing to say about a Self squad with a serial winner at the point and one of the nation’s best five-men. But that’s where the Jayhawks stand. The saving grace is that they actually fared well in non-conference play. They beat North Carolina at home and defeated Michigan State and Duke on neutral courts. Their losses came against a full-strength Creighton squad and a very good Missouri team, both in true road settings. There may be something to the argument that Big 12 teams, which know Kansas inside and out, have more success than opponents trying to learn what Self does on a short turnaround. I will not be buying that excuse. Fade the Jayhawks.—Rob DausterNo. 10 Arkansas RazorbacksStrengths: Arkansas is one of the most athletic teams and possesses a ton of length. Its average height of 78.6 inches ranks 19th in the country, and its top eight comprises players 6-foot-4 or taller, including Zvonimir Ivisic, a 7-foot-2 Croatian forward who cleans things up on the back end. The length advantage led the Razorbacks to a top-20 ranking in block percentage on both offense and defense. It also helped them become a top-20 defense. Simply put, they are carried by that end of the floor. In its regular-season wins, Arkansas allowed 67.7 points per game compared to 76.9 in losses. To make a run, the Hogs will need to defend.Weaknesses: Since Boogie Fland (thumb) was ruled out for the season in mid-January, Arkansas has been better on the offensive end. The problem is that the improvement has been minimal. The Razorbacks still rank outside the top 80 in offensive efficiency on BartTorvik, and even with one less creator to simplify things and D.J. Wagner and Johnell Davis running the show, they can be a rough watch on the offensive end. They managed only 53 points in a 19-point loss to South Carolina, which won just two games in SEC play. If Arkansas loses in the first weekend, it’ll likely be because of its offensive shortcomings.Outlook: The Razorbacks feel like a classic John Calipari team, one that oozes talent but gets bogged down by offensive inconsistencies. They can use their length and athleticism to suffocate opponents, but it doesn’t matter if they can’t score. The bottom line: If Arkansas can figure out its offense, it has Sweet 16 potential. However, I’m not expecting the Hogs to defy the odds.—Sam LanceKansas vs. Arkansas oddsStreaming and Betting/Odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.(Photo of Hunter Dickinson: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
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