Kansas to Open NCAA Tournament Against California Baptist in San Diego Friday

LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 4 seed Kansas (23-10) will face No. 13 seed California Baptist (25-8) in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64, Friday, March 20, at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California. The contest will tip at 8:45 p.m. Central and will be televised on CBS.

Kansas is making its 53rd NCAA Championship appearance and has a 113-51 record in the event. The Jayhawks are 47-6 all-time in NCAA Championship first-round games, including 37-3 since 1981. Kansas has advanced to 31 Sweet 16s, 15 Final Fours and four of its six national championships have been in NCAA Championship format (1952, 1988, 2008, 2022). Note: These include the 2018 vacated wins.

Since seeding began in 1979, Kansas is the No. 4 seed for the seventh time and the first time since the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Kansas is 9-6 all-time as a No. 4 seed.

Kansas and California Baptist will meeting for the first time in men's basketball.

Kansas is coming off a 69-47 loss against No. 5 Houston on March 13 in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals. California Baptist won the WAC Tournament defeating Utah Valley, 63-61, earning the league's automatic bid.

Kansas has played 13 teams in the 2026 NCAA Championship field and has posted a combined record of 10-7 against those opponents.

Kansas is No. 21 in the NET report by the NCAA through games of March 15. To show the strength of the Big 12, the No. 21 rank is fifth in the Big 12 behind No. 3 Arizona, No. 5 Houston, No. 6 Iowa State, and No. 19 Texas Tech. Kansas' strength of schedule is No. 2 nationally, only trailing Michigan.

Ranked No. 17 in the latest Associated Press poll, Kansas is averaging 76.5 points per game and has a plus-6.2 scoring margin. KU pulls down 38.8 rebounds per contest with a plus-2.2 rebound margin. KU averages 14.3 assists, 5.5 steals, and 5.7 blocked shots per contest. KU leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense at 38.8%, which is sixth nationally, and three-point field goal percentage defense at 30.7%, which is 35th nationally. KU also leads the Big 12 in blocked shots (5.7), which is sixth nationally.

An Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention, All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Freshman Team selection, freshman guard Darryn Peterson leads Kansas with a 19.8 scoring average. He has averaged 21.7 points in his last three outings which includes 24 points against TCU (3/12) in the Big 12 quarterfinals, Peterson has 10 games of 20 or more points. He is tied for the team lead with 56 threes made in 22 games played this season. Peterson is on most every national player of the year watch list.

Senior guard Tre White is second on the team with seven double-doubles this season and he is tied with Peterson with 56 three-point field goals made. White is averaging 13.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. White leads Kansas with 117 free throws made and his 86.7 free throw percentage ranks second in the Big 12.

The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, All-Big 12 First Team and All-Defensive Team selection, sophomore center Flory Bidunga is on the Naismith Trophy Late-Season List, the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, and he is a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year finalist. He scores 13.5 points per contest and leads KU with 9.2 rebounds per outing. Bidunga has pulled down 10 or more rebounds in his last two and three of his last four games. He has a team-best 13 double-doubles for the season, which is second in the Big 12 and 23rd nationally. Bidunga leads the Big 12 with 87 blocked shots, which is fourth nationally. His 2.64 blocks per game are third nationally and leads the league and his 64.5 field goal percentage leads the Big 12 and is eighth nationally. Bidunga is 12-for-15 (80%) from the field in his last three games. At 13.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg, and 2.6 bpg, Bidunga is the only player in NCAA Division I to average more than 13.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game.

The Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, All-Newcomer Team and All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, senior guard Melvin Council Jr. is averaging 12.9 points per contest. He leads Kansas with 169 assists and with 35 steals. Council is seventh in the Big 12, 45th nationally, with a 2.82 assist-to-turnover ratio. Council recorded his second double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 assists against Kansas State (3/7).

Redshirt-freshman forward Bryson Tiller averages 8.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest. Tiller is second on the team with 44 blocked shots and has started 29 games this season for KU.

Redshirt-sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson (4.9 ppg, 24 steals), redshirt-sophomore guard Jamari McDowell (3.5 ppg, 30 threes), freshman Kohl Rosario (3.3, 17 threes), and senior guard Jayden Dawson (2.1 ppg, 12 threes) round out the KU regulars.

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Should Kansas win its opening round game against Cal Baptist, KU would play the winner of the No. 5 St. John's versus No. 12 Northern Iowa contest on Sunday, March 22.

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 1-1 all-time versus Northern Iowa. UNI won the last meeting, 69-67, in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament in Oklahoma City.

University of Kansas Athletics

Kansas to Open NCAA Tournament Against California Baptist in San Diego Friday

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Players Mentioned

Flory Bidunga

Melvin Council Jr.

Jayden Dawson

Elmarko Jackson

Jamari McDowell

Darryn Peterson

Kohl Rosario

Bryson Tiller

Tre White

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