Kansas basketball: Gameday preview versus Texas, keys to winning

Kansas basketball

This afternoon at 3:00 PM, the Jayhawks play their season finale against Texas. This game might have held more important had TCU not beaten Texas on Wednesday, which gave KU sole ownership of the regular season title. Although not much is at stake in the Big 12 conference, a Kansas win could cement their spot as a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday.

The last time these two schools squared off, Kansas defeated the Longhorns 88-80. However, today’s matchup is in Moody Center, so the environment will be highly different.

UT fans might not have as much to cheer for now that they are eliminated from the conference title sweepstakes, but they will still garner a high seed in March. Today’s victory would send them into the Big 12 Tournament with positive momentum. To keep their seven-game win streak going, KU will have to do a few things to stop the Longhorns from running away with this one.

Get quality minutes out of the second unit.

One of Texas’ best qualities is how well-rounded its roster is. The team ranks 10th in the nation in bench scoring, averaging 28.9 points per game from their non-starters. They are polar opposites to Kansas, a group that plays its starters for most games. KU averages 11.4 points per game from their bench, good for 342nd in the country.

The last time these two schools met, Kansas’ bench scored 22 points compared to the Longhorns’ 21. Joseph Yesufu provided a pleasant surprise for Bill Self when he recorded 14 points and five rebounds in just 19 minutes of play.

Ernest Udeh Jr. was also a difference maker in this contest as a nice spark plug off the bench. If he, MJ Rice, and Yesufu can be as productive as they were the last time out, it would give KU a better chance of coming out victorious.

Do not let Marcus Carr get hot.

The leading scorer for UT was unstoppable back in January, dropping 29 points and making it rain all over the KU defense. He has been in a scoring drought in the past few outings, but this would be the perfect game to break back out of his shell.

Now that Kansas has already seen what he is capable of, Bill Self might have a better idea of how to slow him down. The super senior from Ontario will be eager to put on a show for his last performance in front of Texas fans, so fans might see Carr put up plenty of shots in this one.

The continued offensive production for Dajuan Harris.

Arguably the best player for the Jayhawks over February, the continued success of Dajuan Harris is the key to each game. He has always been a great quarterback of the KU offense but has flourished at scoring around the hoop.

Last month, the Kansas point guard averaged 11.6 points per game with the utmost efficiency. He shot 53.2% from the field and 47.1% from deep, averaging just 1.5 turnovers per contest. He will look to extend his hot stretch into the Big 12 and NCAA Tournament.