From the Podium: CBU Discusses Friday’s March Madness Meeting with Kansas
3/19/2026 6:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SAN DIEGO, CA --- Head coach Rick Croy and select CBU players discussed Friday night's matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks during the Lancers' media availability on Friday at the Viejas Arena in San Diego. The Lancers will take on KU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, with tip-off coming at 6:45 p.m. on CBS.
Talking ball 🎙️#MarchMadness | #LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/tNv1dlcst3
— California Baptist Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) March 20, 2026
Croy was appreciative of the moment in his opening comments, noting, "We're grateful to be here. It's been amazing, the support we've received from our community, our city, the Inland Empire. Obviously, we've been blessed with a bus ride down to compete in San Diego. But we couldn't be more proud of our senior class, the guys in our locker room."
CBU made the 90-minute drive to San Diego last night. The Lancers have the shortest travel distance of any of the 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament at under 100 miles.
Croy was asked about the travel distance and joked, "We joke that we earned the bus ride. We feel like we're one of the most traveled teams in the nation."
He continued by commenting on the travel schedule CBU went through in the WAC, noting, "The WAC decided to put us at Utah Valley on a Monday night. On Thursday, we played in Arlington, Texas, and we finished that trip at Tarleton State on Saturday. We went 0-3; we lost the final game in overtime. We flew back home after being on the road eight days, and I knew then our team had a chance because no one pointed fingers. Nobody made any excuses."
Senior guard Jayden Jackson also commented on the travel, adding, "It was definitely interesting. I mean, I'm coming in from a different program over from Northern Arizona, which, the Big Sky, they had their own crazy traveling schedules as well. But the WAC was unique, just with the small amount of teams. Everybody knew what everybody was capable of."
Guard Dominique Daniels Jr. was a topic of conversation in both the student-athlete and coaches' press conferences.
Daniels Jr., the fifth leading scorer in Division I, was asked how he would describe his skill set. He commented, "I like to say I play hard every possession. I don't want to toot my own horn, but I feel like I'm a pretty tough guy on the court despite my size and what others may think about me as a basketball player. I just compete every possession. I'm a competitor."
Martel Williams spoke about his teammate, Daniels Jr., adding, "I think Dominique is a very good point guard. The fastest player I've ever played with, ever. You know, that really helps. Like he said, he brings a lot of toughness and leadership to the squad. He helps everybody else's roles become a lot smoother.
Croy said of Daniels Jr., "He's the leader. The belief that he's created in everyone on our team, I would say in our region, because there's so many kids that he's inspired because of his size. He's not the 6'7 prototype. People come watch this guy play, and they go, man, I could be that great too. And he does it with such character."
Kansas head coach Bill Self was also complimentary of Daniels Jr. Self was asked if he had heard of Daniels Jr. before, which he noted, "Yes, I have, but not to the level that he deserves to be heard about."
Self added, "You look up stats, the best scorers in the country, and all that, and certainly he is on that list. But after studying him and knowing coaches in the league, his league that have competed against him, it's impressive what he's done. He is a competitive pit bull that can score the ball."
Croy was asked about his counterpart, Self, and said, "I told our team right away, this is one of the great college basketball coaches of all time. He's going to have his boys ready to compete. The best version of Kansas will be here in San Diego, and that's what we're preparing for."
On guard Darryn Peterson, Croy noted, "He's a very, very skilled player. Obviously, he's a tremendous athlete. But I just have such great respect for those guys. We believe in the 10,000-hour theory. This guy has put in 10,000 hours on his game because when he's open, he makes shots."
The Lancers and Jayhawks will meet for the first time ever on Friday, as CBU makes its March Madness debut. The winner will advance to the second round, where they will play either St. John's or Northern Iowa.
