Jayhawks advance to Elite Eight

CHICAGO, Ill. (KSNT)- KU men's basketball is moving on in the NCAA tournament.

The Jayhawks topped Providence 66-61 in Chicago on Friday to punch their ticket to the Elite Eight.

The first half started slow offensively for both teams. The two teams combined for only ten points in the first six minutes of the game. From here, Kansans went on a 13-4 run to pull away.

Providence was ice cold from the field in the first half, shooting an embarrassing 20% from the field and 7.8% from three-point land in the first half. Kansas didn't play great in the first either. The 'Hawks led by nine at half.

Remy Martin led all scorers with 13 points at half, while Jalen Wilson cleaned up the glass with ten rebounds before the halfway point.

The second half started without much changing. Kansas continued to slowly pull away for the first five minutes, going up by as many as 13. Then the Friars fought back. Providence cut the Jayhawk lead to just five points with 11:36 to go. Then KU led by just two with 10:00 to go, then by only one with 9:15 left.

The Friars continued to cut the Kansas lead until there was no longer a Kansas lead. Providence put themselves ahead on a layup with 5:52 to go.

Kansas responded. Jalen Wilson and Christian Braun put up back to back buckets in the paint to regain the lead. Then Wilson missed one, but David McCormack put it back to extend their lead to six.

Christian Braun threw an alley-oop to Ochai Agbaji with 3:01 to go to put KU up seven. Providence responded with a three. Kansas made their free-throws down the stretch to keep Providence from pulling any closer than three points.

Remy Martin led all scorers with 23 points and Jalen Wilson finished with 16 points and eleven rebounds. Christian Braun scored six and grabbed ten boards.

KU will now play the winner of eleven-seed Iowa State and ten-seed Miami.