photo by: AP Photo/Otto Kitsinger

Eastern Washington forward Tanner Groves (35) moves the ball around Montana State forward Jubrile Belo during an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Big Sky men's tournament in Boise, Idaho, Saturday, March 13, 2021. Eastern Washington won 65-55. (AP Photo/Otto Kitsinger)

Before the Jayhawks can start worrying about how they match up with USC, Wichita State or Drake — or even dream about looking ahead in the West region to Iowa or Gonzaga — the Kansas basketball team first will have to get past a hot Eastern Washington team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Eagles, who are the Big Sky Conference champions, enter the Big Dance on a four-game winning streak, and they’ve won 13 of their last 14 games.

Eastern Washington (16-7) is ranked No. 110 in the nation by KenPom.com and is led by Tanner Groves, the Big Sky’s MVP this season.

Groves, a 6-foot-9, 235-pound junior forward, leads a balanced offense (78 points per game). He contributes 16.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 55.7% shooting and the ability to stretch the floor (17-for-52 on 3-pointers).

Now in his fourth season leading the Eagles, head coach Shantay Legans has a .610 career winning percentage entering the NCAA Tournament. This is the program’s first berth since 2015.

Eastern Washington at a glance

Strength: The Eagles are one of the best free-throw-shooting teams in the country, ranking sixth nationally at 79.9%.

Weakness: Eastern Washington doesn’t create a ton of havoc defensively, with a steal percentage of 6.8%, which ranks 317th in the country.

Best win: Most of the teams in the Big Sky lagged far behind the Eagles this season, according to the KenPom rankings. The highest-ranked team the Eagles defeated was Southern Utah (currently No. 141).

Toughest stretch: The Eagles opened the season with three straight road losses against Pac-12 teams — Washington State, Arizona and Oregon. Their 1-4 start to the season also included a road loss at Saint Mary’s.