WICHITA, Kan. _ Eleven days ago a ligament in his left knee sprained, and a certain kind of Kansas fan may have gone defeatism. Udoka Azubuike is not the team's best player, but there is a case to be made that he's its most important after Devonte Graham. And Kansas had seen this movie before.
What could've been if Joel Embiid was healthy in 2014?
Or if Cliff Alexander had been able to play in 2015?
Azubuike took his name off the list by providing 22 critical minutes in Kansas' 83-79 win over Seton Hall here on Saturday, earning a spot in the Sweet 16 in Omaha next week.
The numbers are good enough: 10 points on five shots, with seven rebounds and two blocks.
But you could not watch this game without knowing Azubuike changed it in a fundamental, undeniable way. Seton Hall is one of the nation's stronger teams, and one of its best on the glass. Kansas is already light on depth inside. Without Azubuike, it's a potential fatal flaw against muscle like Seton Hall.
Azubuike scored on his own and by rolling to the basket for lobs. He was the biggest man on either team, negating much of what Seton Hall depended upon for one of the country's more efficient offenses. He wasn't moving as well as he had before the injury, but he did appear more mobile and comfortable than in his short action on Thursday.
Here's a thing that's true: When Azubuike was on the court, KU was 21 points better than Seton Hall. When he was on the bench, KU was 17 points worse.
Malik Newman led Kansas with 27 points, but Azubuike was the single biggest reason KU was able to survive a virtual no-show by Graham, who hit just one of seven shots.
Kansas has enough shooting and offense to make up for an off-night from one of those guys, but without Azubuike the Jayhawks don't have enough size to be much of a deterrent against a a team like Seton Hall.
That was particularly true on this night, with KU's other bigs _ Mitch Lightfoot and Silvio De Sousa _ largely ineffective and overwhelmed by Seton Hall's strength.
Kansas is the kind of basketball program that is expected in the Sweet 16. The money and advantages and facilities are just too much for any other reality, so none of this will move the needle much.
The standards are higher for the Jayhawks, and the second weekend is when their great seasons are separated from the rest.
But context matters, too. This tournament will always be remembered for the first victory by a No. 16 seed, and the Jayhawks have been through this before.
In the last eight years, their season has ended in the NCAA Tournament's first weekend twice. Each time, a post player they planned to have on the court to varying degrees watched from the bench.
This could have been a third. Azubuike played through the pain, against a brutal matchup, ensuring there would be no what ifs this time.
