cstonehoops: Texas is playing for their NCAA Tournament life over the last three games of the regular season. The majority of brackets still project the Longhorns to make the tournament, but popular bracketologists like CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm have moved them into the first four out category. Expect Texas to be motivated for this one in Allen Fieldhouse. The problem is that the Longhorns just aren’t that good. They turn the ball over on offense and don’t create turnovers on the other end. Their 3-point defense is suspect, and Kansas found success getting into the middle of their zone in Austin. Plus, the Jayhawks should be ready to go after their players-only meeting this week, which emphasized winning an 11th straight Big 12 title. Kansas 78, Texas 66.
dnoll5: KU can share at least a share of the conference crown with two consecutive home wins. It starts with Texas. That should be their motivation. It’s just weird that the players never seem to find motivation in that manner. This game will probably be close because (as stated above) Texas needs to win to justify inclusion into the NCAA tournament and avoid a losing record in league play. KU played one of their best halves of the season in the second stanza in Austin. I think they can replicate it at home. Kansas 77, Texas 70.
KU Chief: Despite their attempts to throw away #11 this team still finds itself in pole-position for the crown. I don’t see how the AFH crowd would allow this squad to play timid basketball and lose this one, of course that same crowd has also watched over some of the most tepid offensive stretches and largest relinquished leads in KU basketball history, so what do I know? Still, I think the good guys pull away in this one in the first 5 minutes of the secondhalf before *almost* giving Texas a window to make it a contest again. Kansas 72, Texas 63.
jbrooks: I believe the Jayhawks come out a little embarrassed about their recent play. Texas will be the unhappy recipient of a Kansas team with their ears pinned back. Texas will come out playing hot, shooting it, and Taylor driving. However, KU will clamp down slowly start to pull away. Kansas 83 Texas 75
penhawk: I thought Kansas would regroup and start playing better once the lead was cut to one game, but that definitely didn't happen. While I think there's a chance that this last week may have done the trick, I'll go ahead and assume we'll see the same team we've seen for weeks. That means stretches of no offense, and defensive lapses that keep Texas in the game. Allen Fieldhouse wins this one for the Jayhawks. Kansas 67, Texas 64
Ivan Portillo: I didn’t post a prediction for two of the last three games. KU lost both games. Coincidence? Yes, but expect KU to come out storming on Saturday. They know the situation they have put themselves in, and there’s no way they don’t at least go down fighting. I’m thinking it’s a close one, but the Jayhawks pull away at the end. Kansas 70, Texas, 68.
KU Grad 08: This team has some serious issues. Only picking us to win because it is at home. Kansas 64, Texas 60.
Tom Fehr: Well, I think Kansas is going to win. They usually do in that Allen Fieldhouse place. Kansas 72, Texas 61.
mikeville: So last game I made a quite eloquent speech about how it was time to sling our hated rivals across the room and stomp on their throats. That sound about right? I then proceeded to predict a 56-point win for the good guys. Obviously that was wrong. So I asked myself, where did I go wrong? Clearly, I misidentified KU’s primary rival. Right, ESPN? It’s quite obviously the Texas Longhorns. I mean, we have such a long and storied history with them, what with our 32 games against them in basketball and 14 games with them in football.
So clearly, this game means much, much more to our players, coaches, and fans than any silly "Border War" or "In-State Rivalry." And obviously it means a lot to Texas as well.
As for my prediction, obviously, KU is awful. They’ve been playing awfully lately. They barely squeaked by TCU twice and have lost to K-State and West Virginia (admittedly both on the road). Self has obviously lost the fan base and it’s only a matter of time until he’s coaching the Thunder and amazing players like Kevin Durant, aka the best player to ever play in Allen Fieldhouse. Maybe Kansas keeps it close for the first 10 minutes or so - give or take five minutes - but if Texas doesn't win this game against this awful team by at least 20, then their fans may just turn their attention back to spring football practice.
I don't wanna hear about the "famed" Phog of Allen Fieldhouse. What a dumb name anyway. That'd be like if they called Darrell K. Royal Stadium "The Burnt Orange Sea." It just doesn't make any sense. And I don't wanna hear about the "atmosphere" or the ghosts in the rafters. Go out there and show these bullies who makes the money in this league.
Let's treat them the way the honorable Mack Brown treated them in that other sport and just beat them by 50 and laugh that they only got four first downs the whole game. This is our big rival, and we need to stomp on their throats whenever we have the opportunity. Get pumped, yo. Texas 111, Kansas 55.