The Kansas Jayhawks join the NCAA Tournament with unknown prospects -- coming in as the No. 7 seed in the West region.
Kansas will go up against the No. 10-seeded opponent. Arkansas Razorbacks In the initial stage, the program has not been ranked lower than fourth in March Madness since the 1999-2000 season when they held an eighth position. Eventually, the Jayhawks lost to the number one seed. Duke Blue Devils In the subsequent round that same year.
The regular season commenced with Kansas atop the AP Poll but concluded with them outside of the rankings. After an initial winning streak of 7 games, the Jayhawks faced challenges throughout their schedule and head into the tournament with a record of 21 wins and 12 losses.
Since the beginning of the century, Kansas has regularly participated in March Madness — with their seeding never dropping below fourth place until this season, leading to two national titles over the span of 25 years.
Let's take a look back at the last time Kansas participated in a March Madness game with a seeding lower than a No. 4 seed -- which was on March 17, 2000.
Yankees beginning three-peat quest
The dominance of Major League Baseball's powerhouse teams from the late 1990s persisted into the early 2000s.
The New York Yankees We were coming off consecutive World Series victories, each ending with a sweep in the last round. No Major League Baseball team had achieved three straight championships since the Oakland Athletics from 1972-74.
The Yankees' quest for their third championship started off well with a 3-2 win against the former Anaheim Angels, roughly seven months following Kansas' initial playoff game. Later, New York managed to prevail over the opponent. New York Mets 4-1 in the "Subway Series" to cap off their third consecutive championship.
Destiny's Child surges to the summit of the Billboard Hot 100.
On March 18, 2000, Destiny's Child secured their first number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with the song "Say My Name," which had climbed up from position 14 in the prior week. This track held the top position for two consecutive weeks and remained on the charts for a total of 32 weeks.
The track received two Grammy Awards at the 43rd annual ceremony: "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" and "Best R&B Song."
Other climbers on the chart that week were "*NSYNC" with "Bye Bye Bye" at No. 5, the Backstreet Boys' "Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely" at No. 6, and Celine Dion’s "That's The Way It Is."
Shaq and Kobe gaining steam as duo
As the Yankees wrapped up their third consecutive championship title, Los Angeles Lakers We were closing in on their stats. With Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant leading the way, the Lakers boasted a 54-12 record midway through March.
Los Angeles defeated the Detroit Pistons On the day of Kansas’ game, O'Neal scored 35 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and added two blocks, whereas Bryant tallied 25 points, secured 8 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists.
A player from Kansas who was in his second year, Paul Pierce additionally took the court for the team. Boston Celtics He scored 16 points and grabbed five steals in their victory over the opponent. Chicago Bulls .
Few surprises on the opening day of March Madness
The Jayhawks were not the sole high-seeded team to secure victory on the first day of the NCAA Tournament.
Out of the 16 games played that day, only two schools managed to pull off upsets as underdogs -- the one seeded at No. 10. Seton Hall Pirates above the No. 7 seed Oregon Ducks , and No. 11 Pepperdine Waves over No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers .
The No. 6-seeded Florida Gators barely avoided an unexpected scare against the No. 12 Butler Bulldogs . Future Miami Heat teammates, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem had 16 and 10 points, respectively, for Florida.
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