Longhorns at Jayhawks: Game Predictions

On Senior Night, Kansas needs a victory over Texas in order to claim a share of the Big 12 title. The Blue Wings Rising crew tells you what you should expect to happen.

The Kansas Jayhawks are back in a familiar place: playing in the final game of the season with a chance to clinch the Big 12 regular season conference title.

There is good reason to be worried about this one. The Jayhawks have not been very sharp recently, losing two games before a difficult win at home over TCU. Also, this will be the fourth game for Kansas in 8 days, a difficult task in any circumstances.

But there are some very big factors working in their favor. A Senior Night game that is sure to have the team locked in and motivated. A fairly favorable matchup against a Texas Longhorns team that is out of the conference race and going through their own struggles right now.

Will the Jayhawks be able to pull out a big victory to seal another conference championship under Bill Self? Or will the Longhorns play spoiler and send the seniors home unhappy? Our crew gets together to tell you what we think you can expect to see tonight.

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Kyle Davis: Kansas doesn’t lose on senior day, and Bill Self rarely gets swept by a Big 12 team. So, while the Jayhawks’ bodies have to be tired after four games in a week, it’s hard to picture Texas winning this game, especially given the stakes. Jalen Wilson and David McCormack must have big games, but I’m interested to see how Joseph Yesufu can impact the game both offensively and with his defensive pressure. Kansas’ defense hasn’t been great but Texas’ offense also struggles to score and I think KU hits enough shots at home to claim at least a share of the Big 12 title.

Kansas 75, Texas 70

Brendan Dzwierzynski: It’s senior day and there’s no chance I’m picking against nearly four decades of history. Additionally, I have a hard time picking anyone to beat Kansas for a fourth time in a row. I’m with Kyle in regard to seeing how Joseph Yesefu plays and I’m especially curious to see what his playing time looks like, but Ochai Agbaji is going to be the deciding factor in my mind. Can Texas guard him (and stop him) this time like they attempted to in Austin? I’ll say no, and that earns KU that vaunted Big 12 title share.

Kansas 76, Texas 73

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Derek Noll: I’m looking for Ochai Agbaji to come out blazing again, so he’s my (fairly obvious and predictable) Jayhawk that I think will make the difference on senior day. The emotions will be running high for Agbaji, David McCormack, and Mitch Lightfoot, but that should play to their advantage and the energy in the old barn will be through the roof. My key is Kansas stepping on the gas pedal and keeping their foot there all game. 

Kansas 77, Texas 72.

Lucas Murphy: The Kansas Jayhawks will play in front of their home crowd inside the holy grail of basketball, Allen Fieldhouse. On top of this being a significant Big 12 showdown, it is also senior day. The emotions that will pour out from the coaches, fans, and seniors, such as Ochai Agbaji, will be memorable. The Texas Longhorns picked a terrible time to come to Lawrence because the boys will be ready to play. The horns might have hooked the Jayhawks on the road, but it is the Longhorns who will be cooked this game.

Kansas 78, Texas 73

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Andy Mitts: Look, we all know what happened when Kansas played Texas last time. The Jayhawks played a tough game in a tough environment when Agbaji was still recovering from being out due to COVID protocols. Texas face-guarded Agbaji all night, but he still got 11 points. 

The difference in that game wasn’t that Texas played everyone else particularly well. Instead, it was that Kansas had a few very serious hiccups late in the game that prevented them from pulling out the win, including a Dajuan Harris turnover on a drive with 8 second left that would have put the Jayhawks ahead.

The other thing to keep in mind here is that this Texas team has had some real trouble competing with the other top teams in the conference. They were swept by both Texas Tech and Baylor, and it isn’t like they match up particularly well with this team. I expect this to be a big game for Jalen Wilson to step up and get back on track heading into tournament play.

Kansas 83, Texas 71