Coming off back-to-back defeats to Texas Tech and Houston, the Kansas basketball team is back to its losing ways. The Jayhawks will look to end their skid and enter the Big 12 Tournament with some momentum behind them with a victory over No. 24 Arizona.
KU will likely enter the contest favored due to the sole fact that it takes place on the Allen Fieldhouse hardwood. But if the Jayhawks continue to play the way they have been, they could find themselves on the wrong side of history this weekend.
Kansas basketball could break a long-standing streak with a loss vs. Arizona
Believe it or not, Kansas has not lost its home regular season finale since the 1983-84 season. There have been some close calls, such as overtime wins in 2015 against West Virginia and 2022 against Texas, but the fact of the matter is that this streak has lasted over 40 years.
Although Arizona is not the most intimidating opponent in the Big 12, Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats have picked up some big-time victories in conference play. They have defeated teams like Iowa State, Texas Tech, and BYU. They currently are tied for second in the league standings at 14-5.
Kansas has not fared well against the upper echelon of the Big 12 this year. Since conference play began, the Jayhawks have only accumulated one win over a tournament team in Joe Lunardi’s latest edition of bracketology. That came in early February against Iowa State in a 69-52 victory. Arizona would be the second because they are a No. 4 seed in Lunardi’s rankings.
It will only be the 11th time in history that these two schools meet with another and the first since Arizona came to the Big 12.
Considering it is Senior Day and The Phog will be a packed house, the odds are stacked against the Wildcats. However, Self and Co. have proved on multiple occasions that no game is a sure thing in the 2024-25 season.