The Jayhawks, now a pedestrian 21-12, were going to hold that underdog designation a) only if they won Thursday in the Big 12 quarterfinals against Wildcats and b) because they had backed into their current plight to begin with.

The Kansas Jayhawks are going to hear their names called on Selection Sunday as one of the 68 teams participating in March Madness, so why does it feel like the program is a shell of its former self?

The Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team will play No. 3-seeded Arizona in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday. Kansas defeated UCF in an overtime thriller Wednesday. Meanwhile, Arizona had a bye through the early rounds of the tournament.