DES MOINES, Iowa — Svi Mykhailiuk scored a career-high 23 points, Perry Ellis added 21 and top-seeded Kansas throttled Austin Peay 105-79 Thursday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Landen Lucas scored 16 points for the Jayhawks (31-4), who will face Connecticut on Saturday with a chance to return to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013.
Kansas, the No. 1 seed in the South Region, jumped ahead by 20 by halftime and cruised to its 10th straight win in an NCAA Tournament opener.
Josh Robinson scored 24 points for the Governors (18-18), who learned quickly that the magic they leaned on to win four straight and the Ohio Valley title was no match for the talented Jayhawks.
Kansas entered this year’s tournament as one of the favorites to win it all after dominating the brutal Big 12 for most the season. Coach Bill Self is looking for his second national championship, and the Jayhawks got off to a strong start by dismantling the overmatched Governors.
By far the most promising development was the play of Mykhailiuk.
Mykhailiuk, an 18-year-old Ukrainian guard whose production often has failed to live up to his promise, didn’t even score in wins over Baylor and West Virginia in the recent Big 12 tournament. But he hit three of his first four 3-point attempts, and his three-point play early in the second half helped put Austin Peay away after it closed to 61-44.
Kansas star Wayne Selden, who averaged a paltry 2.5 points in four previous NCAA Tournament games and was shut out in a loss to Wichita State last March, also impressed with seven points in the first 12 minutes. He finished with 14 points.
Any hope the Governors had at pulling off a monumental upset — or even staying close — was done in by a brutal start from the floor. Austin Peay hit just seven of its first 24 shots, with many of those misses from close range.
Chris Horton had 14 points and 10 rebounds in his final game for the Governors.
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