Kansas Jayhawks at Texas Longhorns Predictions

Our crew gets together to tell you what they expect to see in Saturday's regular season finale.

Thanks to some clutch play by TCU, the Kansas Jayhawks go into the weekend as the outright Big 12 regular season champion. But with NCAA Tournament seeding on the line for both teams, Saturday's game against the Texas Longhorns is still super important.

And when asked by the media on Thursday if the lack of implication for the conference title would alter his plans surrounding lineups and rest for starters, it was easy to know exactly how he was going to respond:

"As long as we're playing, we're trying to win." #KUbball https://t.co/9itQBoXqGk

— Michael Swain (@MSwain247) March 2, 2023

So how fired up will the Jayhawks be in their season finale in Austin tomorrow? Will they be able to finish off the season with their eighth straight win? Or will Texas keep their hopes for the second seed alive with a win on their Senior Night? Our crew shares their thoughts below.

Do you disagree with our assessment? Make sure you read them all and then hop over to the Discord or on Twitter to share your own thoughts.

Kyle Davis

Check out our Texas Preview for Kyle's full breakdown and prediction.

Lucas Murphy

The Kansas Jayhawks are outright Big 12 champions let’s soak that in and enjoy. This game does not carry as much weight as it could have anymore. Bill Self was asked in his press conference if starters would sit and he responded with “No” this team is still trying to get the No. 1 overall seed in the March tournament. I want to see some bench players get some time and play in a rowdy environment to see how they perform. I still feel like the Jayhawks pull this victory out.

Kansas 76, Texas 70.

Derek Noll

When the Big 12 champs arrive in Austin, they’ll have nothing to play for, but that won’t matter to a Bill Self team. This team can make a statement and I think they will. Jalen Wilson will secure his POY status in this one, leading Kansas to another win. I’m also keen to see how Gradey Dick responds after going scoreless from the field against Tech.

Kansas 80, Texas 79.

Brendan Dzwierzynski

This feels like a game in which there are myriad reasons why Texas should be the hungrier team and why it should get the prediction nod. The Longhorns are probably hungrier after blowing a major opportunity thanks to their loss earlier this week, they still have Big 12 tournament seeding to play for, etc. But this Kansas team is tough and has been speaking all week (or at least Dajuan Harris has) about staying focused and locked in for this matchup even though the Big 12 title is locked up. Oh, and let’s not forget that the Jayhawks are angling for the NCAA tournament’s top overall seed, too. Bill Self’s teams rarely lose games this late in the regular season, and I don’t think they’ll lose this one, either.

Kansas 78, Texas 77.

Andy Mitts

I think the guys have pretty much covered it. Texas has every reason to really push for this game, with the need to get some positive momentum and to try and save a top 3 seed for the Big 12 Tournament. But this isn't a meaningless game for Kansas. They know how important this one is for their own tournament seeding, and everyone really wants to play in Kansas City in the second weekend. 

While this is a talented Texas team, they have been losing steam as the season winds down. And they aren't particularly strong around the rim in conference play, giving up a lot of offensive rebounds and not getting many of their own. I expect Kansas to find a way to out-scrap Texas and get out of there with a win to lock up the overall number one seed (barring a first round Big 12 Tournament exit). 

Kansas 85, Texas Tech 81.

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