LAWRENCE, Kan. (KUAthletics.com) – No. 7 seed Kansas (21-12) will face No. 10 seed Arkansas (20-13) in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 20, at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island. Tipoff is set for 6:10 p.m. Central, with the game airing on CBS.
Kansas is making its 51st NCAA Tournament appearance, boasting a 112-49 record in the event. The Jayhawks are 47-5 all-time in first-round games and have advanced to 31 Sweet 16s, 15 Final Fours, and have won four of their six national championships in the tournament format (1952, 1988, 2008, 2022). Note: This includes the vacated wins from 2018.
Kansas holds an 8-6 all-time record against Arkansas, including a 1-1 mark in NCAA Tournament matchups. The Razorbacks won the last meeting, 72-71, in the 2023 second round in Des Moines, Iowa.
Since the NCAA began seeding teams in 1979, Kansas has been a No. 7 seed once before, in 1981, finishing with a 2-1 record.
The Jayhawks have faced 11 teams in the 2025 NCAA Tournament field, compiling a 5-9 record against those opponents.
Kansas is No. 20 in the NET report by the NCAA through games of March 16. To show the strength of the Big 12, the No. 20 rank is fifth in the Big 12 behind No. 3 Houston, No. 7 Texas Tech, No. 9 Iowa State and No. 12 Arizona. Kansas’ strength of schedule is No. 12 nationally, which is fourth in the league.
Kansas leads the Big 12 in assists per game (17.7, fifth nationally) and blocked shots per game (4.8, 24th nationally). KU is second in the league in FG Pct. Defense (39.9%, 15th nationally) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.51, 25th nationally). KU ranks in the top three in five Big 12 team stats.
The Jayhawks, who are receiving votes in both polls, average 76.2 points per game with a +6.9 scoring margin. KU pulls down 38.5 rebounds per contest with a +3.8 rebound margin. Kansas is making 47.1% from the field, including 35.2% from three-point range. Kansas leads the Big 12 in assists per game (17.7, fifth nationally) and blocked shots per game (4.8, 24th nationally). KU is second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.51, 25th nationally) and third in rebounds per game (38.6, 31st nationally) and three point field goal percentage defense (30.9%, 44th nationally). KU also averages 6.2 steals per game.
Graduate C Hunter Dickinson has four straight and seven double-doubles in his last eight games after his 19 points and 12 rebounds against Arizona (3/13). A two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection in 2024 and 2025, Dickinson leads Kansas in scoring at 17.6 ppg which is fourth in the Big 12. Dickinson also leads KU in rebounding at 10.0 rpg, which is second in the Big 12 and 11th nationally. A three-time Big 12 Player of the Week, Dickinson is second in the Big 12 in double-doubles (16), which is 10th nationally. Dickinson is second on the team with 44 blocked shots and is also second on the team with 33 steals.
Senior G Zeke Mayo is next in scoring at 14.5 points per contest, which includes three-straight 20 points games in his last three outings. An All-Big 12 Third Team and Big 12 All-Newcomer Team honoree, Mayo leads Kansas with 85 threes made and has made 15 in his last three games. He is making 41.3 percent from beyond the arc. A two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, Mayo is second on the team with 98 assists and pulls down 4.8 rebounds per contest.
Senior F KJ Adams is averaging 14.2 points in his last six games and 8.0 rebounds in his last five outings. He posted his third career double-double, first of the season, with 21 points and a career-high 13 rebounds versus Texas Tech (3/1). Adams is a starter who is scoring 9.2 points per game and pulls down 5.0 rebounds per game. Adams has 75 assists, 24 blocked shots and 27 steals this season.
Graduate G Dajuan Harris Jr. has 83 assists in his last 14 games. A three-time All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection (2023, 2024, 2025), Harris is averaging 9.2 points per game. At Baylor (2/1), Harris moved into second on the Big 12 career assists list, currently at 858, which second on the KU career list. Harris is second the Big 12 in assists per game at 5.7 and third in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.14, which is ninth nationally.
Junior G Rylan Griffen is third on the team with 40 threes made. He has started 19 games this season and is averaging 6.4 points per contest. Freshman F Flory Bidunga leads KU with 52 blocked shots, which ranks fourth on the KU Freshman Blocked Shots list. Bidunga is second on the team with a 5.4 rebound average and he scores 5.9 points per game. He has a team-high 45 dunks this season.
Junior G AJ Storr scored a season-high 19 points against UCF (3/12) in the Big 12 Championship. Storr has started four games and he is scoring 5.8 points per contest. Senior G David Coit has made 22 threes in his last 10 games, including a 4-for-6 effort at Houston (3/3). Coit has three starts and is second on the team with 46 threes made. Coit averages 5.2 points per game. Graduate G Shakeel Moore has started nine games and is averaging 3.8 points per contest.
UP NEXT
Should Kansas win its opening round game against Arkansas, KU would play the winner of the No. 2 St. John’s versus No. 15 Omaha contest on Saturday, March 22 at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island.
Kansas is 24-14 all-time in second round games in the NCAA Championship.
Kansas is 9-5 all-time against St. John’s and KU has won the last three series meetings. KU defeated SJU, 80-63 in the 1952 NCAA title game in Seattle. KU is 3-0 all-time versus Omaha.
