"Many people thought Remy Martin was a detriment to Kansas" - NCAA insider on the Jayhawks' star's impact, says there's "NO WAY" they're in the Elite 8 without him after beating 4th-seeded Providence

The Kansas Jayhawks are heading to the Elite Eight, and senior guard Remy Martin is a big reason why.

The NCAA Tournament's last No. 1 seed left, Kansas used a gritty performance against the fourth-seeded Providence Friars to win 66-61 Friday.

The Jayhawks (31-6), ranked third in the final poll of the regular season, have been one of the country's toughest teams.

They will face either No. 10 seed Miami or No. 11 seed Iowa State in the Midwest Region final on Sunday. The winner goes to the Final Four in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Jayhawks got a sensational performance from an unexpected player. Senior guard Remy Martin took over, with 23 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes.

Martin spent the first three seasons of his career at Arizona State before transferring to Kansas for his senior year. After struggling to find his groove this year, Martin stepped up at the perfect time and looked like the player who was a three-time All-Pac-12 selection.

College basketball analyst Jon Rothstein said there was no way the Jayhawks would be in the Elite Eight without Martin.

"Many people thought Remy Martin was a detriment to Kansas. Here's the bottom line: There's NO WAY the Jayhawks are in the Elite Eight without him.This is the player we saw at Arizona State."

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Kansas Jayhawks moving on to the Elite Eight

The Jayhawks are heading to the Elite Eight

The performance from senior guard Remy Martin showed just how impressively deep Kansas is.

With so many top seeds falling, the Jayhawks are the highest-seeded team left. There are two No. 2 seeds remaining (Duke and Villanova) but no No. 3 seeds still in the tournament.

New Orleans has hosted the Final Four five times, all in the Superdome. Kansas has been part of the field each of the last three times (1993, 2003 and 2012). The school won the last of its three national championships in 2008 in San Antonio, Texas.

It's not a surprise to see the Jayhawks doing well in March Madness again. They played in the program's 31st Sweet 16 appearance and edged Kentucky for the most wins in Division I history with 2,554.

The roster features a wide range of talented players who have years of valuable experience on the biggest stages. The team is led by senior wing Ochai Agbaji and junior Christian Braun.

Agbaji has been one of the nation's most impressive players and should be a first-round pick in the draft. Braun, one of the country's most underrated players, has the ability to stretch the defense from outside with his lethal shooting. He's also a potential first-round draft selection.