The Kansas Jayhawks enter the NCAA Tournament in uncharted territory — as the No. 7 seed in the West region.
Kansas will face the No. 10-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks in the first round. The program hasn’t been seeded outside of the top four in March Madness since the 1999-2000 season when they were No. 8. The Jayhawks ended up losing to the No. 1-seeded Duke Blue Devils in the second round that year.
A regular season that began with Kansas as No. 1 in the AP Poll ended with it unranked. The Jayhawks struggled after starting 7-0 and will begin the tournament with a 21-12 record.
Since the start of the century, Kansas has been seeded consistently in March Madness — never worse than four until this season, resulting in two national championships in 25 years.
Here’s a look back at the last time Kansas played a March Madness game as worse than a top-four seed — March 17, 2000.
Yankees beginning three-peat quest
Major League Baseball’s dynasty of the late 1990s carried over into the new millennium.
The New York Yankees were coming off back-to-back World Series titles, both of which included sweeps in the final round. No MLB team had won three straight championships since the Oakland Athletics from 1972-74.
The Yankees’ run for a third title began positively with a 3-2 victory over the then-Anaheim Angels, two weeks after Kansas’ first-round matchup. Seven months later, New York outlasted the New York Mets 4-1 in the “Subway Series” to complete the three-peat.
Destiny’s Child leaps to top Billboard Hot 100
Destiny’s Child landed its first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of March 18, 2000 — “Say My Name.” The track jumped from No. 14 in the previous week. It spent two weeks at No. 1 and 32 overall on the chart.
The song won two Grammys at the 43rd annual awards: “Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal” and “Best R&B Song.”
Other risers on the chart that week included “Bye Bye Bye” by *NSYNC at No. 5, “Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely” by the Backstreet Boys at No. 6 and “That’s The Way It Is” by Celine Dion.
Shaq and Kobe gaining steam as duo
While the Yankees were in the midst of concluding their three-peat run, the Los Angeles Lakers were approaching theirs. Led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Lakers had a 54-12 record in mid-March.
Los Angeles defeated the Detroit Pistons the day of Kansas’ game. O’Neal put together 35 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, while Bryant had 25 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists.
A second-year player out of Kansas, Paul Pierce also suited up for the Boston Celtics. He had 16 points and five steals in a win against the Chicago Bulls.
Limited upsets on first day of March Madness
The Jayhawks weren’t the only favorable seed to take care of business on the opening day of the NCAA Tournament.
Only two schools out of the 16 games that day pulled off upsets — the No. 10 seed Seton Hall Pirates over the No. 7 seed Oregon Ducks, and No. 11 Pepperdine Waves over No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers.
The No. 6-seeded Florida Gators narrowly escaped an upset scare against the No. 12 Butler Bulldogs. Future Miami Heat teammates, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem had 16 and 10 points, respectively, for Florida.
