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After ringing in the new year, the No.3 Kansas Jayhawks will host the No.8 Texas Longhorns in a highly anticipated Big 12. This will be the Jayhawks' sixth game against a team ranked in the AP Top 25 –they are 5-0 up to this point – while the Longhorns are 2-1 against ranked opponents.
Match Details
Fixture: Texas Longhorns vs Kansas Jayhawks - NCAA Men's Basketball
Date & Time: Saturday, January 2nd, 2021, 12 PM ET
Venue: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks Preview
The Kansas Jayhawks held the No. 3 spot in the AP poll for the second week in a row after a dominating win against another Top 10 conference foe, the West Virginia Mountaineers, 79-65.
The Kansas Jayhawks had their best shooting performance of the season in the second half against the Mountaineers. The Jayhawks went none of 19 from 3-point land and scored 44 points out of the break against West Virginia, who came into the game ranked No.7.
The win helped grow the Jayhawks' confidence, Bill Self said in a postgame interview,
“It puts us in a position to feel good about ourselves and have some momentum,”
Kansas will look to carry their momentum into the new year to gain a victory over the Texas Longhorns and go to 3-0 in the Big 12.
Key Player - Christian Braun
Christian Braun is the key player for the Kansas Jayhawks as they prepare to take on the Texas Longhorns. The sophomore sharpshooter gave the Jayhawks the edge against the Wolverines, converting on six 3-pointers.
However, what made Braun so special in the previous game was that he also was a facilitator and added seven assists to his stat line. If Braun can put up another Big 12 Player of the Week performance, then the Jayhawks will have no issues against their conference rival.
Kansas Jayhawks Predicted Lineup
F David McCormack, F Jalen Wilson, G Marcus Garrett, G Ochai Agbaji, G Christian Braun
Texas Longhorns Preview
The Texas Longhorns saw themselves move up two spots in the AP poll this week despite not having a game last week.
The Longhorns' most recent game was on Dec. 20, where they edged out Oklahoma State 77-74. That was the Longhorns' third win in a row after losing to No 4. Villanova in the first week of December.
Texas Coach Shaka Smart credited his defense for the win over the Cowboys.
Defense is one thing that travels, and one thing we can control. You can't control making shots all the time. But we can definitely control our effort on the defensive end.
The Longhorns forced 13 turnovers to allow them to stay within capable comeback range while their offense struggled early.
The Texas Longhorns will look to carry their defense with them against the Kansas Jayhawks and shutdown their perimeter scoring.
Key Player - Greg Brown
The key player for the Texas Longhorns is Greg Brown. The top 10 recruit put up a season-best performance with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Brown has been showing signs of brilliance all season and finally put a total performance together against Oklahoma State.
If Greg Brown can continue his high-level play and be the best player on the court against the Kansas Jayhawks, they will likely go to 2-0 in the Big 12.
Texas Longhorns Predicted Lineup
F Jericho Sims, F Greg Brown, G Andrew Jones, G Matt Coleman III, G Courtney Ramey
Texas vs Kansas Prediction
The Kansas Jayhawks will go to 3-0 in the Big 12 after defeating the Texas Longhorns in their first game of 2021. The Jayhawks will have too much firepower on offense against a streaky Longhorns' squad.
Where to watch Texas vs Kansas?
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
