Jay Williams predicts Arkansas to upset Kansas in NCAA Tournament

The NCAA Tournament is tipping off on Thursday, and several major games highlight the Day 1 schedule. That includes the Arkansas Razorbacks and Kansas Jayhawks taking on one another in a matchup between a 10-seed and a seven-seed.

Ahead of that game, ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams appeared on Get Up. There, he predicted an upset in this game, with the lower-rated Arkansas team coming out on top in a game that pits two Hall of Fame coaches against one another.

“Kansas is a team, guys, that they’ve struggled in this year in the Big 12,” Jay Williams said. “God forbid, they struggle and they end up fifth or sixth in the Big 12. That’s a down year for Bill Self. But a lot of people question their toughness, their inability to get points off turnovers.”

The Jayhawks finished the season 21-12 and 11-9 in a parity-driven Big 12. However, including in the conference tournament, Kansas lost three of its final five games this season. It’s now been a week since the Jayhawks have been in action, and they’ll be taking on an Arkansas team that went 20-13 and 8-10 in the SEC, which was widely seen as the best conference in the sport this season. That includes finishing the season strong, winning five of their final seven games.

“This Arkansas team, they’re getting Boogie Fland back. He’s a guy that can score from all over. DJ Wagner, a guy that can score from all over,” Williams said. “John Calipari‘s team, in the SEC, once again not a great year but still treading water in the best conference. I think the Hogs are gonna get one today.”

For his part, even with a win over Kansas, Arkansas head coach John Calipari wasn’t thrilled with the first round draw. After all, as he recently explained on The Pat McAfee Show, he has a long history with Kansas’ Bill Self, particularly in the NCAA Tournament.

“We’re here in Providence,” Calipari said. “A four-team tournament. Kansas, come on. Bill Self, he won his national championship against us and me. We won our national championship against them. So, we’ve won at Allen [Fieldhouse]. They had won at our place. Bill and I, when I left Kansas, he followed me at Kansas. So, he went into the role I was in. Unbelievable the culture he’s built, the program, all of that stuff. He and I are friends. I hate playing people that I consider friends or know well. All these teams, why you gotta put me against him first game? So, we know what we’re up against.”

Arkansas and Kansas will tip off at 7:10 p.m. EST. The game will be played in Providence and can be watched on CBS.