Kansas vs. Texas: 2019 Big 12 Tournament game preview, TV schedule
By Chris Kern
We have an impactful Big 12 basketball game late Thursday night between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Texas Longhorns. Texas desperately needs a win to make the NCAA Tournament.
TV Schedule: March 14th, 9:30 PM ET, ESPN2
Location: Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri
This game has huge NCAA Tournament implications for both teams. The Texas Longhorns would fall to 16-16 with a loss and despite the quality of their wins, that would drop them out of the field. The Kansas Jayhawks, on the other hand, are likely locked into a top four seed though they certainly would be in the discussion for a three seed with a win or two in the Big 12 Tournament.
The home teams won both of the regular season matchups. Kansas won the game in Lawrence 80-78 after Jase Febres missed a game-winning three-point attempt as time expired. The game in Austin was also closely contested as Texas secured a 73-63 win behind their balanced offensive attack.
This is a must-win game for Texas. They have plenty of quality wins which has kept them solidly in the field for the majority of conference but all of a sudden they’re in jeopardy of having their record fall to .500 overall. They will likely need to wins in the Big 12 Tournament to 100% safe. The way Kansas has been playing it’s very possible they pick up the win.
One big reason Texas has themselves in this situation is their suspension of Kerwin Roach. They went just 1-4 in the final five games of the season without him and if they were even able to go 2-3, then they would be in a much better spot. They lost by double digits on Saturday at home against TCU in what was a huge win for the Horned Frogs tournament hopes.
This is a big game for Texas but is also a big game for Kansas. They have really struggled away from home during conference play so they need to get some confidence heading into the NCAA Tournament. With them looking like they’ll be a three or four seed it seems like they won’t be playing in favorable locations like they are accustomed to doing.
The Jayhawks need to get a couple of players going in this conference tournament, mainly their freshman guards. They’ve had some really good play from Devon Dotson and Ochai Agbaji for large stretches of the season but recently they have struggled and they will need them playing at their best if they want a chance to even advance into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
Quentin Grimes is the guy they really want to get going though, but he has shown sides so it is possible. He has been getting going a little bit but if they want to make any sort of deep tournament run they need the Grimes that showed up in the season-opener against Michigan State. Kansas saw Malik Newman take over late to get the Jayhawks to a Final Four after having a bad season so there is still a little bit of hope with Grimes.
This will be an exciting game to end the day of quarterfinal matchups in the Big 12. These teams will need to come ready to play if they want to win this game. I expect Dedric Lawson to have a big game for Kansas just as we have become used to from him. His ability to make plays on both ends of the floor is what makes him one of the best players in America.
We will have to wait and see how Kerwin Roach fits back in with Texas. Considering all the struggles they had without him I’m sure they will make him a focal point in the offense. This will be a closely contested game throughout because the Longhorns will come out with a sense of urgency as they look to secure an NCAA Tournament bid.
Kansas should come out with more energy than we’ve seen from them all season. They need to get all the momentum they can heading into the NCAA Tournament but that’s easier said than done. They don’t have a killer instinct and they struggle to close out games. I expect the Longhorns to come into Kansas City and pull off the upset to add another big win to their resume.