By Otis Kirk

No. 8 Arkansas will take on top-seeded Kansas on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. in the second round of the NCAA Tournament West Region at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.

Arkansas (21-13) defeated No. 9 Illinois 73-63 while Kansas ousted No. 16 Howard 96-68. Jalen Wilson led the Jayhawks with 20 points. Eric Musselman was asked about facing Kansas following the win over Illinois. 

"I didn't come over early to scout the game," Musselman said. "Our belief has always been I'm coming on the team bus with the players and just making sure that we were focused for this game and never look ahead.

"I don't think you can in this tournament. We did have -- you know, our assistants were all here and watched the game, because we needed to prep. We're ready right now to go have a meeting. The guys will all -- they probably already have scouting reports texted to them on their phones.

"So our staff is ready, but I'm not right now."

Kansas (28-7) is the third-seeded team in the overall tournament in addition to being at the top of the West Region. 

Wilson (6-8, 225) is a junior forward from Denton, Texas. He led the Jayhawks in the regular season with 20.1 points and 8.4 rebounds each outing. 

Junior guard Dajuan Harris Jr. (6-1, 175) leads the team in assists (6.3) and steals (2.2). He's also averaging 8.8 points per game. Sophomore forward K.J. Adams (6-7, 225) is leading the Jayhawks with 0.8 block each game. Adams is also averaging 10.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.7 steals each time out.

Freshman guard Gradey Dick (6-8, 205) has also been big for Kansas. He's averaging 14.3 points, 5. 1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.3 block per game. Senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (6-6, 210) is the other Jayhawk having a good season. He has averaged 10.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.7 blocks for the Jayhawks.

Photos Courtesy of Craven Whitlow CW3 Action Sports