After a surprising loss, Kansas is now tied for first in the conference standings. Can TCU drop them even further with an upset win?
TV schedule: Tuesday, February 6, 9:00 p.m. ET. ESPN2
Arena: Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas
On Monday night, West Virginia completed the team’s regular season sweep over Oklahoma, 75-73. That’s important in the Big 12 standings, as the Mountaineers are now in first place in the win column, while the Sooners are two games out in the loss column.
Tied for first is Kansas 18-5 (7-3), who lost a stunner at home to Oklahoma State, 84-79. Four Jayhawks scored at least 16 points, led by Udoka Azubuike with 20 points on 8/11 shooting in 21 minutes played. Before the Saturday game, Kansas had won seven of the team’s last eight games in the Big 12, which is very impressive considering the weekly gauntlet teams have to go through.
It continues with TCU 16-7 (4-6), who has been the most hot and cold team in the conference. The Horned Frogs have alternated wins and losses in their past seven games, including a great win over West Virginia, as well as an awful loss at Vanderbilt.
In the most recent game, Texas Tech beat TCU at home 83-71. The game really wasn’t this close, with the Jamie Dixon’s team down nearly 30 points in the first half. Vladimir Brodziansky had a game-high 18 points, while Kenrich Williams had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
This is the second meeting between these teams this season, with Kansas pulling ahead in the final minutes 88-84. Devonte’ Graham led all scorers with 28 points and assists, while Brodziansky had 20 to lead TCU. One player who won’t be playing in this game is Jaylen Fisher, who is out for the season with a knee injury. He had 16 points in the prior meetup.
Next: Big 12 Mid-season recap and awards
Kansas has a few games coming up against the bottom-half of the league, and either can separate themselves from the other top teams, or become in danger of ending the streak. Losing to the Horned Frogs will make things really dramatic in the title race.
Prediction: Kansas 88 – TCU 76