TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Jayhawks are set to play Villanova on Saturday, a team that destroyed their dreams of an NCAA National Championship back in 2018.
KU radio broadcasters believe that won't happen again.
The Jayhawks pretty much lost the game in the first 10 minutes in 2018. This time, it's come back time.
The voice of the Jayhawks, Brian Hanni, and Greg Gurley, a former player for the Jayhawks, talked this week about what is different about this year's team.
"That game was basically over before it started, but I think at that point I think...I don't think we felt lucky to be there but we beat Duke to get there. I think it's different this year, it's a different Villanova team. It's a different Kansas Team," Gurley said.
"While certainly, they can come lights out again this year, I don't think the firepower is quite the same, like I said earlier. I think hopefully we will have memories about sticking around a little longer and puffing out our chest by the end of the weekend," Hanni said.
Gurley hopes to have that 2008 feeling again.
"Every year, basically you end with a loss. It's like losing a family member. You go back to the hotel and you are just depressed. As you go back to 2008, it's one of the greatest feelings ever. I never experienced it as a player, but being a fan and working there, it's the best," Gurley said.
David Lawrence, an analyst for Jayhawk Radio, said Kansas is sort of flying under the radar. Big names like Duke are catching all of the attention.
"We haven't been America's team. The president didn't pick us to win it all. I mean it's beautiful. How can you go under the radar and beat Kansas and be the number one seed? We haven't been as talked about," Lawrence said. "We know things happen. One year it was free throws, another year it was a late injury. We are exactly where we need to be."
This weekend though, all Jayhawk fans want is to be able to say they are national champions once again.
"It's not about who they are talking about at the end of the weekend, it's who they are talking about after Monday night and that's where we plan to be," Hanni said.
KU is set to play at 5:09 p.m. on Saturday on TBS.
