By: Matthew Neiser, Northeastern Athletics

The No. 13 Northeastern men's basketball team will take on No. 4 Kansas in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET, and it has been a tumultuous road that has led the Huskies and Jayhawks to where they are now.
 
How They Got Here
Northeastern came into the season the overwhelming favorites to win the CAA, returning all but one rotation player from last year. They also added George Washington transfer Jordan Roland, as well as redshirt freshman Jason Strong. The Huskies were all set for a dominant 2018-19 season. Then, the injury bug hit. 
 
Junior G/F Maxime Boursiquot and junior G Shawn Occeus sustained injuries in the lead-up to the season that held them out for significant time. Boursiquot ultimately was sidelined for the entire season, while Occeus missed the first nine games. Senior point guard Vasa Pusica injured his wrist in a win over Alabama in the Charleston Classic, being limited in a pair and ultimately missing five games due to the ailment. With an injury depleted team, the Huskies limped into conference play with a 6-6 record after playing the ninth-strongest non-conference schedule in the nation, according to CBS Sports.
 
Even with a battered team, Northeastern was able to shake off a rocky 1-2 start to conference play to finish with a 14-4 record in the CAA. Occeus missed nine more games with a lower body injury and Northeastern dealt with a bout of illness during a road trip to UNCW and Charleston, but the Huskies withstood the adversity to finish second in the CAA. With an almost fully healthy squad back, Northeastern charged through its conference tournament, dispatching No. 10 UNCW, No. 3 Charleston, and No. 1 Hofstra en route to winning the Tournament title, earning the automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Just like the Huskies, the Kansas Jayhawks had to deal with their fair share of adversity this season. Coming into the season on the back of a Final Four run last year, Kansas was ranked No. 1 overall in the AP Preseason Poll, and for good reason. The Jayhawks returned starters, had players regain eligibility after sitting out a year due to transfer rules, and, as always, had a slew of new five-star prospects joining the team as freshmen. This was supposed to be a big, deep, experienced Kansas team.
 
Then, nine games into the season, bruising 7-1 star center Udoka Azubuike went down with a season-ending injury. On February 8, senior guard Lagerald Vick took a leave of absence from the team for personal matters and is not expected back for the tournament. This left Kansas to rely on four freshmen and a transfer student for their starting lineup. Though still talented, the Jayhawks lost a big chunk of their vaunted size and experience in Vick and Azubuike.
 
Dedric Lawson stepped up big-time for Kansas, and leads the team in both points (19.1) and rebounds (10.3). Lawson has been the star for the Jayhawks this year, and their offense runs through him. Kansas relies on him for their inside-out game – the Jayhawks only shoot 35 pct. from three point range as a team – and tend to struggle when he can't get going.
 
Due to these issues, Kansas was unable to win the Big 12 regular season title for the first time in 15 years. With a 12-6 conference record, Kansas finished third behind Texas Tech and Kansas State, who both finished at 14-4 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks were still able to make it to the finals of their conference tournament, defeating No. 6 Texas and No. 10 West Virginia, before falling to No. 5 Iowa State in the championship game. In the latest AP Top 25 Poll, Kansas is ranked 17th in the nation.
 
Strengths
Kansas

• Size (Lawson 6'9", David MacCormack 6'10", Mitch Lightfoot 6'8")
• Battle-tested (Highest strength of schedule, per CBS Sports)
• Three-point defense (Hold teams to 33.6%)
• Efficiency (20th best adjusted efficiency margin, per KenPom rankings)

 
Northeastern

• Three-point shooting (38.8% as a team)
• Three-point defense (Hold teams to 33.6%)
• Free throw shooting (75.1% as a team)
• Experience (Six players have played in multiple conference championship games)

 
Players to Watch
Kansas

• Dedric Lawson (junior)
  • 6'9", 235 lb forward
  • Leads team in points (19.1) and rebounds (10.3) per game
  • Shoots 37% from three
• Devon Dotson (freshman)
  • 6'2", 185 lb guard
  • Leads team in assists per game (3.6)
  • Averages 12.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game
  • Shoots 37% from three

 
Northeastern

• Vasa Pusica (redshirt senior)
  • 6'5", 210 lb guard
  • Leads team in points (17.8) and assists (4.2) per game
  • Shoots 40.1% from three, 84% at the free throw line
• Jordan Roland (redshirt junior)
  • 6'1", 171 lb guard
  • Averages 14.7 points per game on 45.4% shooting from three
  • Leads team with school record 97 3PT field goals made
  • Shoots 90.3% at the free throw line

 
Common Opponents
Vermont
Kansas 11/12/18: 84-68 W vs Vermont
Northeastern 12/16/18: 70-75 L at Vermont (without Vasa Pusica)
 
Eastern Michigan
Kansas 12/29/18: 87-63 W vs. Eastern Michigan
Northeastern 12/1/18: 81-67 W vs. Eastern Michigan (without Pusica and Shawn Occeus)
 
Miscellaneous Notes 
Northeastern has never played a game against a member of the Big 12.
 
Northeastern has played one game in Utah in program history: a 54-56 loss at Utah State in Logan, Utah on 11/27/2010.