We have Saturday night Big 12 action in Lawrence as the Texas Longhorns hit the road to meet the No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESPN.
Texas (17-9, 6-7 Big 12) has been up and down throughout the month of February and Monday’s matchup against Kansas State was an up as it pulled out a 62-56 victory. Both teams shot below 37% in an offensive struggle, but the Longhorns never trailed as they made 17 free throws on the night to the Wildcats’ 11. Dylan Disu was the only UT player to cross double digits in points, offering 20 along with eight rebounds.
Kansas (20-6, 8-5 Big 12) has also had an up and down month and is back in action for the first time since last Saturday’s 67-57 win over Oklahoma. The Jayhawks held the Sooners to just 32% shooting for the night and dominated them on the boards 40-29, as well as points in the paint 30-14. Hunter Dickinson led with 20 points and 16 rebounds.
KU senior Kevin McCullar Jr. returned after missing two games with a knee injury, logging 10 points and eight rebounds. However, he is considered questionable for this matchup against the Longhorns.
Kansas has a distinct advantage on the offensive end by the fact that it leads the Big 12 in effective field goal percentage at 53.8%. Contrast that with Texas allowing teams to shoot 51.8% and this could be a pretty efficient offensive night for the Jayhawks. On the other end, the Longhorns are shooting 36.3% from three in conference play and that could be an effective tool to have against a KU team that is not defending the three that well.
What this game means for Texas
Texas has been fighting its way through a tough Big 12 schedule and a road victory in Allen Fieldhouse would be a huge shot to the arm as it enters the final stretch of the regular season. The Big 12 regular season title is an extreme longshot for the Longhorns at this point, but it can still position itself for a good seed in the conference tournament. That starts with picking up wins in tough games like this one.
What this game means for Kansas
Kansas still has a shot at the league’s regular season title as it sits just two games back of Houston in the standings. Handling business at home here is crucial to that goal as a loss would put the Jayhawks in a hole. They are undefeated at home this year and wouldn’t want the Longhorns of all teams to end that streak.
Texas vs. Kansas odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Kansas -8.5
Total: 144.5
Moneyline: Kansas -410, Texas +320