Tonight, there is plenty at stake. Our thirty-three game homecourt winning streak. Our slim chances (that we'll dicusss sometime this week if we can win tonight) of winning a Big 12 title for the seventh time in eight years, and for the fifth straight season.
But, most importantly, this is about maintaining an easy, leisurely path to a decent seed in the NCAAs. I've said it plenty before and I'll likely say it plenty more afterwards, but a loss here could, conceivably, open up some floodgates. It could lead to some must-win games in some hostile environments, like Ames, and against some pretty solid teams, like up in Lincoln. So, yeah, let's just this win.
However, it certainly won't be easy. Texas A&M desperately could use a victory right now, and a road game in Lawrence sounds good to the Aggies compared to some of their other upcoming games. They will be scratching, clawing, diving and hustling. We have to match that intensity, that fire, or they will run us out of the building.
Of course, we do have one huge advantage on our side; Allen Field House. It's sure to be loud, it's sure to be crazy, and it's sure to have an impact. It's awfully hard to come out too low-key on Big Monday in AFH, and I don't think that should be too much of a problem. If we lose, it'll be because we go on a turnover barrage, or we simply can't knock down our threes. A&M is good at limiting twos, so we have to make our threes or they can just pack it in and give us serious problems.
With all of that said, we're going to win. I can feel it. I can't wait until tipoff; this game is going to be huge. But we aren't going to win. We just can't.
Kansas 77 Texas A&M 69
ROCK CHALK!
Oh, and one more thing. I'll be here for the game. So will Denver. And, so should you. Tonight has plenty of ingredients for it to be a heavy-comment evening, except for the fact it's a home game. Still, it's a big game, a game on ESPN, a game that is huge for both teams. Come and join us and talk some hoops.
The Race for 4,000 Begins!