Three-minute preview: No. 3 Kansas men’s basketball vs. Texas
Texas at No. 3 Kansas
P | No. | Kansas | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 13 | Cheick Diallo | 6-9 | Fr. | 4.8 |
F | 34 | Perry Ellis | 6-8 | Sr. | 15.9 |
G | 1 | Wayne Selden | 6-5 | Jr. | 14.9 |
G | 4 | Devonte’ Graham | 6-2 | So. | 10.5 |
G | 0 | Frank Mason | 5-11 | Jr. | 13.2 |
P | No. | Texas | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 44 | Prince Ibeh | 6-11 | Sr. | 2.1 |
F | 21 | Connor Lammert | 6-10 | Sr. | 6.1 |
G | 5 | Kendal Yancy | 6-3 | Jr. | 2.9 |
G | 3 | Javan Felix | 5-11 | Sr. | 11.1 |
G | 1 | Isaiah Taylor | 6-3 | Jr. | 16.4 |
WHEN/WHERE: 1 p.m. Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence
TV/RADIO: ESPN; KCSP (610 AM)
ABOUT KANSAS (15-3, 4-2 Big 12): The Kansas frontcourt rotation, the constant mystery amongst a slew of other issues, could finally be leaning younger. Kansas coach Bill Self said Thursday that freshman Cheick Diallo would “probably” make his second straight start on Saturday, while Carlton Bragg has made a case for more minutes in recent games. Bragg, a 6-foot-9 forward, had eight points in 11 minutes in Tuesday’s loss at Oklahoma State. With a victory, Kansas can stretch its homecourt winning streak to 34 games, which would be the fourth-longest streak in school history. Self can also win his 200th game inside Allen Fieldhouse, becoming the fastest coach to 200 wins in Allen Fieldhouse history. Self is 199-9 in the building. At the moment, Kansas has won eight of its last nine against Texas. The Jayhawks will also welcome a big recruiting target into Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday. Josh Jackson, a 6-foot-7 shooting guard, began his official visit on Friday. Jackson is the No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2016, according to Rivals.com.
ABOUT TEXAS (12-6, 4-2 Big 12): Texas coach Shaka Smart is 1-0 all-time against Kansas. You remember the game, right? Smart’s VCU Rams took out No. 1 seed Kansas in the 2011 Elite Eight in San Antonio. Now Smart is in his first season with the Longhorns, and he’s shaping the program in his own image. For the moment, that image is a little inconsistent. The Longhorns have a victory against North Carolina and scored a 56-49 win at West Virginia on Wednesday — the same place Kansas lost last week. They also have six losses, including road setbacks at Texas Tech and TCU. Texas has had to play without standout center Cam Ridley, who suffered a broken foot in late December. But the Longhorns still have jet-quick guard Isaiah Taylor, who leads the way with 16.4 points per game. According to advanced metrics, Texas ranks 43rd nationally in offensive efficiency and 51st on defense. Recent history, though, sides with Kansas. The Longhorns own just one victory inside Allen Fieldhouse, defeating the Jayhawks in 2011.
Rustin Dodd: 816-234-4937, @rustindodd
This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 7:31 PM with the headline "Three-minute preview: No. 3 Kansas men’s basketball vs. Texas."