No. 7 Texas vs. No. 3 Kansas for the Big 12 Tournament Championship
The No. 7 Texas Longhorns will take on No. 3 Kansas in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament Championship game today at 5 p.m. central in what will be a home game for the Jayhawks.
[Get FOUR MONTHS of Inside Texas Plus for just $10!]
The Longhorns (25-8) beat Oklahoma State 71-57 and TCU 66-60 to reach the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, and have clinched at least a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Kansas’ (27-6, 13-4) last loss came March 4 in Austin to Texas 75-59 to end the regular season. They have beaten West Virginia 78-61 and Iowa State 71-58 to advance to Saturday’s finale. Kansas is a lock for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and could be a top overall seed with a win today.
The Longhorns are 18-7 under interim head coach Rodney Terry, including 14-7 in Big 12 regular season and tournament play.
How to watch the game
Texas and Kansas tipoff at 5 p.m. Central on ESPN with Rich Hollenberg (play by play), Chris Spatola (analyst) and Kris Budden (reporter) calling the action.
T-Mobile Center (19,135) – Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas leads the series 37-13. Texas won the last meeting 75-59 March 4, 2023 in Austin. Kansas won 88-80 in Lawrence February 6, 2023.
Timmy Allen Update
Super senior forward Timmy Allen sat out Thursday and Friday night’s games with a very minor ankle sprain. If this was a NCAA Tournament game, he would have played.
The Longhorns are not expected to suit up Allen today, but instead make sure he’s 100% for the NCAA Tournament.
Big 12 Tournament Schedule
Quarterfinals — Thursday, March 9
Gm 3: No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 5 Iowa State | 11:30am on ESPN
Gm 4: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 8 West Virginia | 2pm on ESPN
Gm 5: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 7 Oklahoma State | 6pm on ESPN2
Gm6: No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 6 TCU | 8:30pm on ESPN/ESPN2
Semifinals — Friday, March 10
Gm 7: No. 5 Iowa State vs. No. 1 Kansas | 6pm on ESPN/ESPN2
Gm 8: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 6 TCU | 8:30pm on ESPN/ESPN2
Big 12 Tournament Championship Game — Saturday, March 11
Gm 9: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 2 Texas | 5pm on ESPN
The Rodney Terry File
Rodney Terry enters Tuesday with a career record of 181-163. He has been a head coach at the Division I level for ten year prior to joining Chris Beard’s staff in Austin.
Terry built the Fresno State program up in his time in California. The Bulldogs won 20 or more games in four of Terry’s last five seasons. That included three times in post season play. Terry has a 0-1 record in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bill Self File
Bill Self is in his 30th season as the head coach at the Division I level, including his 20th at Kansas. He has a record of 577-129 in Lawrence, including 276-67 in Big 12 play with 16 conference titles. Self sports a career record of 784-234.
Self’s teams have advanced to 23 straight NCAA Tournaments dating back to his time at Tulsa. He has a 55-21 record in the NCAA Tournament, including National Championships in 2008 and 2022. His teams have advanced to four Final Four’s.
Norm Roberts will remain the acting head coach today with Self on the mend. Roberts is 6-0 as a head coach at Kansas this season.
Kansas Jayhawks starters
PG Dajuan Harris Jr., 6-1, junior (8.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists)
G Kevin McCullar Jr., 6-6, senior (10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals)
G Gradey Dick, 6-8, freshman (14.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists)
F Jalen Wilson, 6-8, junior (20.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists)
PF K.J. Adams Jr., 6-7 sophomore (10.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists)
Key reserves
Key reserves for the Jayhawks are 6-0 junior guard Joseph Yesufu (3.8 points, 1.1 rebounds), 6-11 freshman Ernest Udeh Jr. (2.6 points, 1.8 rebounds), 6-1 junior guard Bobby Pettiford Jr. (2.3 points, 1.5 assists), 6-5 freshman guard M.J. Rice (2.2 points) and 6-10 sophomore center Zach Clemence (1.4 points, 1.4 rebounds).
Texas starters
PG Tyrese Hunter, 6-1, sophomore (10.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists)
CG Marcus Carr, 6-2, super senior (15.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.8 steals)
SG Sir’Jabari Rice, 6-4, super senior (12.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists)
F Dillon Mitchell, 6-8, freshman (4.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.7 steals)
PF Dylan Disu, 6-9, senior (8.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks)
The reserves
PF Christian Bishop, 6-7, super senior (6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.9 steals)
CG Arterio Morris, 6-3, freshman (4.9 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.6 assists)
F Brock Cunningham, 6-6, senior (4.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists)
PF Alex Anamekwe, 6-5.5, freshman (1.8 points, 0.8 rebounds)
