Last season, Thomas was second on the team in scoring and rebounding to Sullinger. Now it is up to the junior forward to step up and grab that leadership role. Thomas as a sophomore averaged 16 points and five rebounds per contest. Craft, the returning starting point guard is a master with the ball, averaging five assists a game. Craft, may need to increase his scoring average which was nine points per game last season. Ohio State will also count on a key reserve from last season, Lenzelle Smith, Jr. to step up. Smith, Jr. averaged seven points and five rebounds in around 25 minutes of play as a sophomore.

The Buckeyes will be looking to avenge their final four loss to Kansas last season here. Expect a classic game, between two of the best programs in the nation.

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Nov. 7th, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Aaron Craft (4) seen here vs Tyshawn Taylor in last season’s final four game, is one of the leaders for the team.

The scheduled includes a wide variety of television games including four on CBS, and four on ESPN’s Big Monday. In addition, Kansas will make four appearances on the Big 12 network and another four on the Jayhawk network. Other big games of the schedule include a meeting with Michigan State in the Champions Classic on November, 13th. Meetings with Oregon State, Ohio State, Washington State and Colorado are also on the Jayhawks schedule.

Kansas and Texas face off for the first time this year on January, 19th in Austin. Three days later is the team’s first look at in-state rival Kansas State this year. January, 28th marks the first meeting with head coach Bob Huggins and West Virginia as conference members. TCU and Kansas face off on February, 6th in Fort Worth, Texas.

The season starts on October, 30th vs Emporia State in Lawrence, Kansas.

Apr 2, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self, 2012 basketball schedule was finalized on Thursday

On November 13th, Kansas and Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans meet in Atlanta, Georgia as part of the Champions Classic. Kansas travels to another Big 10 foe on December, 22nd when they face Ohio State.

A couple of PAC-12 schools are also littered on the schedule. Head coach Craig Robinson’s Oregon State Beavers face Kansas in Kansas City on November, 30th. On November, 19th Washington State also comes to the Sprint Center in Kansas City to face the Jayhawks. Later on Kansas hosts Colorado.

Two big-time small schools who have had success in the NCAA tournament are Richmond and Belmont. Each faces Kansas this season. Belmont comes on December, 15th, while the Richmond Spiders travel to Lawrence on December, 18th. This is the first time Richmond and Kansas have played in Lawrence, since the Spiders upended the Jayhawks in 2004.

In the final non-conference game, Kansas hosts Temple on January, 6th before kicking off the Big-12 schedule.

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Apr 2, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts on the sideline against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half of the finals in the 2012 NCAA men