Kansas kicks off postseason play in Kansas City with a matchup against the Texas Longhorns. Check out this link for TV/Radio information. Kansas comes into this matchup at 23-8. The Jayhawks ended the regular season with a 78-70 home victory over Baylor. Texas enters the contest at 16-15. The Longhorns struggled down the stretch, losing their final two games and four of five, including the regular season finale at home vs TCU. Kansas leads the all-time series with Texas 32-9. The Jayhawks are 4-1 against the Longhorns in Big 12 Tournament play. The teams split their season series this year, with each squad holding serve at home. Kansas has won 10 of the last 11 meetings with Texas. Kansas is 45-11 all-time in Big 12 Tournament play, and has won 11 of the last 14 Big 12 Tournament titles. It’s about gametime, so...<doc-sep>Kansas heads back to Sprint Center in KANSAS City to take on the Texas Longhorns in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. Kansas is the #17 team in the country in the AP Poll, while Texas comes in unranked. KenPom currently has KU at #18 and Texas at #27. Kansas and Texas split the season series this season, with KU winning by 2 in Lawrence and Texas winning by 10 in Austin. Here are the essentials: The Numbers #17 Kansas: 23-8, 12-6 Texas: 16-15, 8-10 Line: Kansas -4 How to Watch Thursday, Mar 14, 8:30 p.m. CDT (est) Kansas City, MO: Sprint Center (18,972) TV: ESPN2 - Jon Sciambi (Play-by-Play), Robbie Hummel (Analyst), Tara Petrolino (Reporter) Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network - Brian Hanni (Play-by-Play), Greg Gurley (Analyst) Online Streaming: www.watchespn.com<doc-sep>For Shaka Smart and Texas, the outlook heading into Thursday’s night quarterfinal tilt of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship is simple. If the Longhorns are able to beat No. 17 Kansas in a matchup between the conference’s No. 6 and No. 3 seeds, respectively, in Kansas City, the Longhorns should have enough of a quality resume to take before the selection committee and earn one of 36 at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. A loss to the Jayhawks and Smart and Co. likely won’t have to worry about Selection Sunday other than to see where they’ll be playing their first game of the National Invitation Tournament. A coach who has hammered home the talking point down the stretch of the regular season about focusing on the next game, the season’s third meeting with Bill Self’s squad in what’s essentially a road game inside Sprint Center (8:30 p.m., ESPN2) is one where there truly is no tomorrow for Smart and his charges. “I’m just focusing on trying to win the game,” Smart said Wednesday following the team’s final practice ahead of their latest must-win outing. “I think for our guys, understanding the importance of the game, the fact that it could give us a huge, huge quality win, that’s where our focus is.” Even though Texas (16-15) is on the NCAA Tournament bubble due to a lack of consistency through 31 regular season games, the Longhorns have played well in their two meetings against Kansas with an 80-78 loss at Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 14 standing as one of the many close losses throughout the season that could’ve gone the other way. A big reason for the success against Kansas has been the edge Texas has up front, which must be there of the Longhorns hope to survive and advance to the league semifinals. Between the close loss in Lawrence and a 73-63 victory at the Erwin Center on Jan. 29, Texas has owned Kansas on the glass through 80 minutes of action to the tune of a cumulative plus-11 rebounding edge. Injury to Udoka Azubuike and eligibility concerns surrounding Silvio De Sousa has left the Jayhawks to slug through the season with first-team All-Big 12 forward and conference Newcomer of the Year Dedric Lawson to lead a depleted frontcourt, forcing Self to play a four-guard lineup at times and allowed a deep group of Texas forwards to largely control both games. Jaxson Hayes, Dylan Osetkowski and Jericho Sims combined for 21 points and 20 rebounds in the two-point loss two months ago with Osetkowski’s shooting performance (5 for 13 overall, 0 for 2 from 3-point range) the only negative to speak of from a game the Longhorns had a chance to win in the end. Hayes went for 13 points and nine rebounds in the 10-point win in Austin nine days later with his four offensive rebounds equaling half of the total number of offensive boards the Jayhawks grabbed. A lot has changed for two clubs since they met on the Forty Acres at the end of January. Kansas was without guard LaGerald Vick for that game and he won’t be back with the team, but guard Marcus Garrett, who went off for 20 points on an 8-of-11 shooting performance (3 for 4 from beyond the arc) in the first meeting between the two clubs is going to be available after fighting through a late-season ankle injury. The win over Kansas was the first in a string of games where the Longhorns won four of six contests and headed into the home stretch with a 15-11 record. That’s around the time when Kerwin Roach began serving an indefinite suspension, a blow to the Longhorns that played a role in Texas dropping four of the final five games on the regular-season slate, including a forgettable 69-56 home loss to TCU’s where Smart’s bunch showed nothing more than a faint pulse. Whether Roach will be in the starting lineup Thursday remains to be seen, but the senior guard will be available to play and should see extensive minutes so long as the Longhorns get three things Smart has demanded of him. Smart and the coaches want Roach to provide a defensive presence and “senior toughness,” to “value the basketball” on offense and to “bring positive energy and spirit to the guys around him.” Roach’s presence or not, Texas has to find a way to be much better defensively than the Longhorns were down the stretch. Texas Tech and TCU shot a combined 52 percent from the floor overall (52 for 100) and 51.4 percent from beyond the arc (made 18 of 35 3-point attempts) in two games last week that are the two worst losses the Longhorns have suffered this season. Turning that around and beating Kansas would give Texas a sixth Quadrant 1 win on the season, of which there would only 14 teams in the country with more such victories than the Longhorns have amassed. Texas has as many quality wins as anyone in the country, but with a .500 team having never received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, none those wins — over the likes of North Carolina, Kansas, Kansas State and Purdue — will matter unless the Longhorns can put it together for 40 full minutes and live to fight another day in Kansas City. Get VIP content at Horns247 FREE right now when you sign up for a 7-day trial! “We’re putting all of our emphasis on this game,” Smart said. “We’ve certainly had games where we’ve played extremely well and well enough to win in a game like (Thursday). The goal is to recreate that here in Kansas City, in a tournament format where if you win, you get to keep playing.”<doc-sep>Kansas will open up the Big 12 tournament with an intriguing matchup with Texas. KU split the series with Texas this year with an 80-78 win in Allen Fieldhouse and a 73-63 loss in Austin. Bill Self said he feels like Texas can go toe to toe with just about anyone. “Texas is one of the more talented teams in our league,” Self said. “I do think, potentially, that Texas could beat anyone in our league on any given night. I do think they're very capable of doing that, and playing at the highest level.” There is good reason for Self’s praise of the Longhorns. In the two previous matchups, Texas has given KU trouble on the defensive end. On a points-per-possession basis (PPP measures efficiency of offense) per Barttorvik.com, the Longhorns accounted for two of KU’s worst three defensive performances this season. In the first matchup, Texas scored 78 points on 1.23 PPP. In the second, Texas scored 73 points on 1.15 PPP. For reference, KU has only allowed an opponent to score over 1.1 PPP on four occasions. Texas accounts for two of those. Yet for Thursday’s matchup, KU will match up better with a Texas team that uses two bigs for the majority of games. In the first two matchups, Texas used its ball-screen heavy offense to create open 3s. Because KU was in a four-guard lineup with Dedric Lawson at the five, Texas took advantage of KU’s “hedge and recover” defensive scheme and involved Lawson in numerous screens. "I feel like we did a pretty good job the first time,” Devon Dotson said of KU’s coverage. “Second time, they got some open 3s and knocked down some shots. So we just have to improve that.” (I previously did a film room on how Texas’ offense took advantage of KU’s pick-and-roll coverage. You can find that by clicking these words.) The biggest development since the last matchup between the two teams is KU’s two big look and integration of David McCormack into the starting lineup. Self has been pleased with its results. “I think we have been better since we've been playing two bigs,” Self said. Since KU switched to a new starting lineup on Feb. 9, the Jayhawks have out-rebounded opponents by a margin of 5.2 in the eight games since. In the previous two meetings between Texas and KU, the Jayhawks were out-rebounded by 10. Dedric Lawson recorded eight rebounds in the first meeting and seven in the second. That is down from the 10.1 he is averaging on the season. Lawson thinks having an added body could help. “I think the first time we played them we had Marcus [Garrett] guarding [Dylan] Osetkowski,” Lawson said. “We just match up better with two bigs.” Osetkowski was a dominant figure in both games, recording 27 points and 13 rebounds (seven offensive). “He basically won the game down there for them,” Self said of the big man, “as far as numbers and what he was able to accomplish.“ Now with McCormack in the starting lineup and showing signs of progress, KU won’t be overly reliant on a smaller body guarding Texas’ second big. With McCormack or even Mitch Lightfoot in the game, Lawson can take with smaller of the bigs, which could help with fatigue down the stretch. Dotson feels like the big bodies will help KU. “Bigger bodies out there so we can do a great job of containing them,” Dotson said. “And not letting them do what they want to do.” On the perimeter, communication will be key for KU should it continue to use a switching scheme that had often seen the team switch one through four (especially in four-guard looks) and sometimes one through five. That could mean Lawson switches on every ball screen and McCormack and Lightfoot will hedge on ball screens. Lighftoot could switch depending on individual matchups. As a guard that will end up defending a lot of ball-screens Thursday, Dotson will have to have his head on a swivel. "Just knowing where their big guys are at all times,” Dotson said. “They have the ability to throw the lob at any time so just being aware of where they are at.” Lawson is looking forward to the matchup. “I think it'll be a pretty good game," Lawson said.<doc-sep>
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Postseason play is here for KU basketball and the rest of the Big 12. The conference tournament began on Wednesday with the bottom four teams in the conference squaring off at Sprint Center. Now it's the Jayhawks' turn to jump into the fold. Here's what you need to know before Thursday's tip vs. Texas. KU's roster is now complete, with KU coach Bill Self announcing there would be no more roster moves this year at his Monday press conference when asked about the status of Lagerald Vick, who had previously departed the team to tend to a personal matter, as announced by KU Athletics. Regardless, with Dedric Lawson taking home conference Newcomer of the Year honors and Devon Dotson landing on an All-Big 12 team (coaches' pick, third team), the Jayhawks have plenty of talent to withstand Thursday's test. SIGN UP FOR VIP ACCESS AT PHOG.NET! CLICK HERE. As mentioned, KU will face Texas later today. The Longhorns went 8-10 in the Big 12 regular season (KU went 12-6), dropping four of their last five and five of their last seven overall under coach Shaka Smart. The Jayhawks defeated the Longhorns, 80-78 in a meeting in Allen Fieldhouse. They fell to Texas, 73-63, in the return meeting in Austin. Texas is led in scoring by Kerwin Roach (15.0 points per game), who is expected to make a return for this contest. He has not played since Feb. 16. Jaxson Hayes and Dylan Osetkowski, two big men, are both averaging double-figures in scoring and upwards of five rebounds per game. Osetkowski went for 16 points and four rebounds in the win over KU, while Hayes scored 13 points with nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Here is how you can check out Thursday's KU basketball game: When: Today at 8 p.m. CT (Tip will likely start closer to 8:20 or 8:30 p.m., as this is the second game of the session.) Where: Sprint Center (Kansas City) TV: ESPN2 Web stream: www.espn.com/watch KU Athletics webcast: KUAthletics.com/radio Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (1320 AM/101.7 FM in Lawrence, 810 AM in KC) Here is the full list of radio affiliates. As for some of our coverage leading up to the game, here are some of the stories we wrote over the last week to catch you up on what you need to know: Recently, we published an in-depth feature on Quentin Grimes' up-and-down season for KU basketball. We conducted some 15 exclusive interviews over three months to help provide a big-picture look at his freshman campaign. You can read that, here. Outside of that, here are the stories we published after the last game, a KU win over Baylor: Media reacts to KU basketball's win over Baylor — Link Putting a wrap on the regular season for KU basketball — Link A halftime challenge sparked a big-time Dedric Lawson performance — Link David McCormack feels the game starting to slow down — Link Where could KU basketball be headed in the postseason? — Link Dedric Lawson adds more Big 12 honors from media — Link Here are some VIP basketball stories we wrote this week: KU basketball vs. Baylor: Who stood out and who didn't... (VIP) — Link Film room: How KU's backcourt handled Baylor's zone (VIP) — Link KU signee Christian Braun labeled 'winner' after state title (VIP) — Link Video: Go inside KU's practice the day before the Big 12 tournament (VIP) — Link And here are some stories to preview KU's meeting with Texas: