Hunter Dickinson, No. 7 seed Kansas will take on Adou Thiero and No. 10 seed Arkansas on Thursday night in the first round of the tournament.

Bill Self and No. 7-seeded Kansas will take on John Calipari and No. 10-seeded Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship on Thursday night in the west region at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island. The No. 7-seeded Jayhawks finished their season with a 21-12 overall record and were 11-9 against teams in the Big 12 Conference. They started their conference tournament against UCF, winning in overtime.

How to Watch Kansas vs Arkansas in Men’s College Basketball Today:

Game Date: Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025

Game Time: 7:10 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN2

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They then lost their next game by 11 points against Caleb Love and Arizona in the quarterfinals. Hunter Dickinson and Zeke Mayo will need to improve their inside-out game moving forward. Dickinson is averaging 17.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, while Mayo is averaging 14.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.

On the other side of the historic coaching matchup, the No. 7-seeded Razorbacks finished their season with a 20-13 overall record and were just 8-10 in the SEC, the hardest conference in the country. They started their conference tournament with a win against South Carolina before bowing out in the second round against Ole Miss, a now No. 6-seed.

Calipari and Arkansas rely heavily on a pair of inside-out players as well. Forward Adou Thiero can get down the floor quickly for a forward, averaging 15.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He is backed by FAU transfer and no stranger to the NCAA Tournament, Johnell Davis, who is averaging 11.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game.

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