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Posted Wednesday at 6:00 PM EST.

First Round of NCAA Tournament – Intrust Bank Arena - Wichita, Kansas

2:00 PM ET. For years, we've been saying the gap between the #1 and #16 seeds in the NCAA Tournament has been closing, and that one day the most unlikely of upsets is likely to happen. Enter the Pennsylvania Quakers, which is a program that is both underrated and under-seeded in this competition. A respected resource we often cite is KenPom, which uses advanced stats to rank over 350 schools in a number of different categories from strength of schedule to a team's luck factor. The 2018 Quakers are the highest rated #16 seed since the 2012 Bulldogs of UNC Ashville, who just happened to go shot-for-shot with #1 Syracuse in that year's second round. While the Bulldogs fell 72-65, that game was much closer than the final score would have you believe and covering the double-digit spread was never in question. Currently, KenPom gives the Quakers an 11.2% chance of outright upsetting the Jayhawks. For reference, the next closest team with a chance to do the impossible is the Terriers of UMBC, who have a 3.3% chance of toppling Virginia. Penn is actually the liveliest pooch of all the #16 and #15 seeds in this year's tournament. Lucky for us, there is the great equalizer in the point spread. These double-digits the Quakers are taking back are an absolute gift. Penn can score in bunches, and it cannot be counted out. In the first half of the Ivy League championship game, the Quakers were down 30-17 to Harvard with just under five minutes to go before going on an incredible 17-2 run to end the half. A three-pointer as time expired to cover the first half spread had Havard backers drying their tears with their now worthless tickets.

The Jayhawks need no introduction, as this is their record 29th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament going back to the days of coach Roy Williams. Bill Self has been the head man at Kansas for 15 seasons, and this is the ninth year in a row his Jayhawks will be either a #1 or a #2 seed in this tournament. However, after a look under the hood, it's not hard to see that grabbing one of this year's top spots had more to do with the Midwest Regional's second round being played in Witchita then it did KU's talent on the court. This is not your classic Kansas side, as it highlights no surefire lottery pick, no standout freshman and it features a lack of depth not typically seen in Lawrence. The fact that the Jayhawks are much closer to a #3 seed than a #1 makes them very vulnerable. KenPom ranks Kansas the ninth team in the nation just one spot behind Gonzaga, which is a #4 seed. The discrepancy between where the market perceives the Jayhawks to be and where they actually are makes spotting points with them a very dangerous game. The numbers don't lie, and opportunities like this don't come around very often. We're not going to miss our chance to take back this boatload of points with a very dangerous dog.

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